﻿8 
  COYOTES 
  IN 
  THEIR 
  ECONOMIC 
  RELATIONS. 
  

  

  restricted 
  to 
  Mexico 
  and 
  Central 
  America. 
  Of 
  the 
  eight 
  forms 
  that 
  

   occur 
  in 
  the 
  United 
  States, 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  remarked 
  that 
  their 
  ranges 
  and 
  

   relations 
  to 
  each 
  other 
  have 
  not 
  been 
  fully 
  determined. 
  Much 
  mate- 
  

   rial 
  is 
  3 
  T 
  et 
  needed 
  before 
  anyone 
  can 
  write 
  with 
  exact 
  knowledge 
  of 
  

   their 
  distribution. 
  

  

  A 
  group 
  in 
  which 
  there 
  is 
  so 
  much 
  variation 
  in 
  size 
  must 
  also 
  

   present 
  considerable 
  diversity 
  of 
  habits. 
  The 
  larger 
  forms, 
  like 
  

   C. 
  latrans, 
  are, 
  of 
  course, 
  the 
  more 
  injurious 
  to 
  the 
  live-stock 
  interests. 
  

   Smaller 
  species, 
  like 
  C. 
  estor 
  and 
  microdon, 
  confine 
  themselves 
  in 
  

   their 
  food 
  more 
  to 
  the 
  smaller 
  wild 
  mammals 
  and 
  thus 
  do 
  much 
  

   less 
  damage. 
  Yet 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  the 
  intention 
  in 
  this 
  preliminary 
  bulletin 
  

   to 
  consider 
  the 
  species 
  separately. 
  Indeed, 
  no 
  such 
  detailed 
  study 
  

   of 
  their 
  habits 
  has 
  yet 
  been 
  made. 
  The 
  present 
  paper 
  deals 
  with 
  the 
  

   group 
  as 
  a 
  whole, 
  and 
  is 
  confined 
  to 
  a 
  discussion 
  of 
  the 
  economic 
  rela- 
  

   tions 
  of 
  coyotes 
  in 
  general 
  to 
  our 
  agricultural 
  interests. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  matter 
  of 
  fencing 
  to 
  protect 
  sheep 
  and 
  poultry 
  against 
  coyote 
  

   depredations, 
  the 
  Biological 
  Survey 
  has 
  made 
  some 
  preliminary 
  

   investigations, 
  and 
  has 
  formulated 
  plans 
  for 
  more 
  extensive 
  experi- 
  

   ments 
  in 
  the 
  near 
  future. 
  In 
  the 
  meantime 
  it 
  is 
  hoped 
  that 
  farmers 
  

   and 
  ranchmen 
  throughout 
  the 
  West 
  who 
  have 
  had 
  personal 
  expe- 
  

   rience 
  of 
  the 
  efficiency 
  of 
  various 
  forms 
  of 
  fence 
  as 
  a 
  protection 
  

   against 
  coyotes 
  and 
  other 
  wild 
  animals 
  will 
  write 
  the 
  Biological 
  Sur- 
  

   vey 
  fully 
  as 
  to 
  such 
  experience. 
  

  

  ABUNDANCE 
  OF 
  COYOTES. 
  

  

  Coyotes 
  are 
  abundant 
  in 
  most 
  parts 
  of 
  their 
  range, 
  except 
  the 
  

   extreme 
  north 
  and 
  the 
  more 
  thickly 
  populated 
  regions 
  where 
  waste 
  

   lands 
  are 
  scarce. 
  It 
  is, 
  however, 
  on 
  the 
  plains 
  of 
  the 
  western 
  part 
  

   of 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  that 
  they 
  come 
  most 
  closely 
  in 
  contact 
  with 
  the 
  

   advancing 
  tide 
  of 
  settlement. 
  The 
  establishment 
  of 
  pioneer 
  homes 
  

   throughout 
  the 
  country 
  has 
  always 
  resulted 
  in 
  restricting 
  the 
  num- 
  

   bers 
  of 
  the 
  larger 
  wolves, 
  which 
  have 
  gradually 
  become 
  extinct 
  over 
  

   large 
  areas 
  in 
  the 
  eastern 
  and 
  middle 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  

   where 
  they 
  were 
  formerly 
  abundant. 
  Not 
  so 
  with 
  the 
  coyote. 
  Except 
  

   in 
  a 
  few 
  thickly 
  settled 
  regions, 
  it 
  has 
  thrived 
  upon 
  civilization 
  and 
  

   is 
  practically 
  as 
  numerous 
  as 
  it 
  was 
  before 
  settlements 
  began. 
  In- 
  

   deed, 
  in 
  many 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  West 
  coyotes 
  are 
  said 
  to 
  be 
  increasing 
  in 
  

   spite 
  of 
  a 
  constant 
  warfare 
  against 
  them. 
  

  

  The 
  introduction 
  of 
  domestic 
  birds 
  and 
  mammals 
  has 
  provided 
  the 
  

   coyotes 
  with 
  an 
  additional 
  food 
  supply 
  always 
  available 
  and 
  entirely 
  

   precluding 
  any 
  danger 
  of 
  starvation. 
  Then, 
  too, 
  the 
  animals 
  are 
  far 
  

   too 
  suspicious 
  to 
  be 
  easily 
  destroyed 
  by 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  traps 
  or 
  poisons. 
  

   Old 
  hunters 
  of 
  the 
  Plains 
  have 
  informed 
  the 
  writer 
  that 
  while 
  it 
  

  

  