MAMMALS OF UTAH 117 



ROBBER COYOTE: MOUNTAIN 

 COYOTE 



CANIS LESTES (Merriam) 



Canis lestes Merr., Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash., XI, 1897, p. 25. 



Description — Size medium; ears and tail large; color 

 similar to Clatrans; skull and teeth medium. Muzzle pale 

 cinnamon rufous ; top of head grizzled gray and ochraceous, 

 crown, nape, and ears fulvous ; rest of upper parts grayish 

 buffy mixed with black; under parts whitish tinged with 

 buff on belly; ruff tipped with black; fore and hind legs 

 buffy ochraceous on outer side, whitish on inner, and on 

 hind feet ; tail broadly tipped with black ; white beneath on 

 basal third, ochraceous on remainder, the hairs tipped with 

 black towards the black tip. (Elliot.) 



Distribution — Southern British Columbia through 

 Washington and Oregon to the plateau of northern Arizona 

 and New Mexico, and to the Mexican boundary. 



Habits — The habits of this' large, dark, richly colored 

 coyote are not unlike those of the coyote of the plains and 

 valleys but its prey is somewhat different, consisting chiefly 

 of dusky grouse, cottontails, and snowshoe rabbits and 

 including also many deer and fawns. (Gary.) 



NOLAND'S RANCH COYOTE 



GANIS ESTOR (Merriam) 



Canis estor Merr., Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash., XI, 1897, p. 31. 



Description — Size small, color pale; camassial and mo- 

 lar teeth small. Muzzle pale fulvous, top of head gray and 

 buff; upper parts buffy mixed with black; under parts 

 whitish; ruff conspicuously black-tipped; outer side of fore 

 legs bright buff, pale on inner side, and on fore feet ; outer 

 side of hind legs and feet buffy ochraceous; inner side of 

 hind leg and upper surface of hind foot white; under side 

 of tail ochraceous, white basally, hairs of distal half tipped 

 with black; tip of tail black. (Elliot.) 



Distribution — Deserts of eastern California, Nevada 

 and Utah. The type locality of this species is Noland's 

 Eanch, San Juan River, Utah. 



In order to show the general distribution and numbers 

 of coyotes in Utah it will be necessary to give only the 



