﻿FOOD 
  HABITS 
  OF 
  COYOTES. 
  11 
  

  

  C. 
  latrans 
  has 
  a 
  migratory 
  movement 
  southward 
  in 
  winter 
  and 
  north- 
  

   ward 
  in 
  the 
  spring, 
  probably 
  caused 
  by 
  the 
  limited 
  food 
  supply 
  of 
  

   the 
  northern 
  wilds, 
  and 
  varying 
  in 
  degree 
  with 
  the 
  severity 
  of 
  the 
  

   seasons. 
  A 
  similar 
  movement 
  of 
  other 
  species 
  in 
  the 
  western 
  part 
  of 
  

   the 
  United 
  States 
  from 
  the 
  higher 
  mountain 
  areas 
  to 
  the 
  valleys 
  has 
  

   been 
  noticed. 
  In 
  summer 
  the 
  mountain 
  species 
  range 
  above 
  timber 
  

   line. 
  

  

  The 
  coyotes 
  are 
  noted 
  for 
  their 
  peculiar 
  prolonged 
  howling. 
  A 
  

   single 
  animal 
  is 
  capable 
  of 
  a 
  performance 
  which 
  impresses 
  the 
  unin- 
  

   formed 
  hearer 
  as 
  the 
  concert 
  of 
  a 
  dozen, 
  and 
  when 
  several 
  join 
  in 
  

   the 
  medley 
  the 
  resulting 
  noise 
  is 
  indescribable. 
  They 
  are 
  silent 
  

   during 
  the 
  day, 
  but 
  may 
  be 
  heard 
  at 
  any 
  time 
  between 
  sunset 
  and 
  

   sunrise. 
  

  

  Coyotes 
  breed 
  but 
  once 
  a 
  year. 
  The 
  mating 
  season 
  is 
  late 
  in 
  Jan- 
  

   uary 
  or 
  early 
  in 
  February. 
  The 
  period 
  of 
  gestation 
  is 
  probably 
  that 
  

   of 
  the 
  whole 
  genus 
  Canis, 
  which 
  is 
  given 
  by 
  Owen 
  as 
  about 
  sixty-three 
  

   days. 
  The 
  young 
  are 
  produced 
  in 
  dens, 
  and 
  number 
  from 
  four 
  to 
  

   eight 
  or 
  even 
  more. 
  The 
  dens 
  are 
  usually 
  enlarged 
  from 
  those 
  made 
  

   by 
  badgers 
  or 
  smaller 
  animals 
  and 
  are 
  often 
  among 
  rocks 
  or 
  in 
  

   washed-out 
  places 
  along 
  banks 
  of 
  streams. 
  Probably 
  at 
  times 
  they 
  

   are 
  made 
  entirely 
  by 
  the 
  coyotes. 
  They 
  are 
  rarely 
  far 
  below 
  the 
  

   surface, 
  but 
  sometimes 
  of 
  considerable 
  extent 
  and 
  with 
  two 
  or 
  more 
  

   openings. 
  Little 
  attempt 
  is 
  made 
  to 
  provide 
  nests 
  for 
  the 
  young. 
  

   In 
  the 
  Central 
  West 
  these 
  are 
  born 
  early 
  in 
  April 
  and 
  usually 
  may 
  be 
  

   heard 
  in 
  the 
  dens 
  during 
  May. 
  In 
  June 
  they 
  come 
  out 
  to 
  play 
  around 
  

   the 
  mouths 
  o'f 
  the 
  burrows, 
  which 
  are 
  finally 
  deserted 
  during 
  July. 
  

   By 
  August 
  1, 
  the 
  young 
  are 
  left 
  by 
  the 
  parents 
  to 
  shift 
  for 
  themselves. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  earlier 
  descriptions, 
  the 
  prairie 
  wolves 
  were 
  usually 
  said 
  to 
  

   hunt 
  in 
  packs. 
  Lewis 
  and 
  Clark, 
  Say, 
  Richardson, 
  and 
  others 
  so 
  

   reported, 
  but 
  the 
  Prince 
  of 
  Wied 
  met 
  them 
  only 
  singly. 
  It 
  is 
  prob- 
  

   able 
  that 
  they 
  hunt 
  in 
  numbers 
  only 
  when 
  the 
  quarry 
  is 
  large, 
  as 
  in 
  

   the 
  case 
  of 
  deer 
  and 
  antelope 
  ; 
  but 
  as 
  many 
  as 
  three 
  have 
  been 
  known 
  

   to 
  pursue 
  a 
  single 
  jack 
  rabbit, 
  

  

  FOOD 
  HABITS 
  OF 
  COYOTES. 
  

  

  The 
  food 
  of 
  coyotes 
  has 
  been 
  a 
  subject 
  of 
  investigation 
  by 
  the 
  field 
  

   naturalists 
  of 
  the 
  Biological 
  Survey, 
  whenever 
  opportunity 
  offered. 
  

   A 
  number 
  of 
  stomach 
  examinations 
  have 
  been 
  made 
  in 
  the 
  field 
  ; 
  but 
  

   trapped 
  animals 
  are 
  often 
  found 
  with 
  empty 
  stomachs. 
  In 
  the 
  case 
  

   of 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  the 
  species 
  nothing 
  definite 
  is 
  known 
  of 
  the 
  food. 
  

  

  The 
  stomachs 
  examined 
  contained 
  mainly 
  animal 
  matter, 
  but 
  in 
  

   two 
  cases 
  vegetable 
  remains 
  were 
  found. 
  One 
  examined 
  by 
  Vernon 
  

   Bailey 
  contained 
  a 
  quantity 
  of 
  ripe 
  cultivated 
  plums: 
  and 
  William 
  

   Lloyd 
  found 
  a 
  coyote 
  that 
  had 
  eaten 
  mesquite 
  beans. 
  In 
  northern 
  

  

  