﻿12 
  COYOTES 
  IN 
  THEIR 
  ECONOMIC 
  RELATIONS. 
  

  

  Arizona 
  Doctor 
  Merriam 
  saw 
  a 
  coyote 
  eating 
  a 
  watermelon, 
  and 
  a 
  

   correspondent 
  at 
  Russell, 
  Kans., 
  says 
  that 
  they 
  sometimes 
  eat 
  ripe 
  

   melons. 
  In 
  California 
  they 
  eat 
  peaches, 
  apricots, 
  grapes, 
  and 
  other 
  

   fruits. 
  They 
  eat 
  also 
  juniper 
  berries, 
  manzanita 
  berries, 
  and 
  the 
  

   fruit 
  of 
  the 
  prickly 
  pear 
  (Opuntia). 
  

  

  Only 
  one 
  case 
  of 
  insect-eating 
  has 
  been 
  observed 
  by 
  the 
  Biolog- 
  

   ical 
  Survey. 
  The 
  same 
  animal 
  that 
  had 
  eaten 
  plums 
  had 
  in 
  its 
  stom- 
  

   ach 
  the 
  remains 
  of 
  a 
  large 
  cricket 
  {Stenopelmatus 
  fasciatus). 
  

  

  Coyotes 
  feed 
  greedily 
  upon 
  all 
  kinds 
  of 
  animal 
  food. 
  This 
  ranges 
  

   from 
  the 
  larger 
  hoofed 
  mammals 
  to 
  the 
  smallest 
  rodents, 
  and 
  includes 
  

   also 
  birds, 
  reptiles, 
  fish, 
  and 
  crustaceans. 
  Three 
  horned 
  toads 
  (Phry- 
  

   nosoma) 
  were 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  stomach 
  of 
  a 
  specimen 
  killed 
  June 
  3, 
  1898, 
  

   in 
  Big 
  Smoky 
  Valley, 
  Nevada, 
  by 
  Vernon 
  Bailey. 
  On 
  the 
  low 
  trop- 
  

   ical 
  coast 
  of 
  eastern 
  Mexico 
  and 
  Texas 
  members 
  of 
  the 
  Biological 
  

   Survey 
  have 
  often 
  seen 
  coyotes 
  searching 
  the 
  beach 
  for 
  crabs, 
  fish, 
  

   and 
  turtle 
  eggs. 
  

  

  BENEFICIAL 
  HABITS. 
  

  

  Among 
  the 
  mammals 
  included 
  in 
  the 
  food 
  of 
  the 
  coyotes 
  are 
  many 
  

   injurious 
  species; 
  and, 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  their 
  food 
  is 
  confined 
  to 
  these, 
  the 
  

   animals 
  are 
  decidedly 
  beneficial 
  to 
  the 
  farming 
  interests 
  of 
  the 
  conn 
  

   try. 
  The 
  destruction 
  of 
  rabbits, 
  both 
  large 
  and 
  small 
  species, 
  is 
  of 
  

   great 
  advantage, 
  especially 
  on 
  the 
  plains 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  cultivated 
  val- 
  

   leys, 
  where 
  their 
  depredations 
  are 
  keenly 
  felt 
  by 
  the 
  settlers. 
  The 
  

   various 
  species 
  of 
  jack 
  rabbit 
  have 
  often 
  been 
  observed 
  as 
  included 
  

   in 
  the 
  coyotes' 
  fare, 
  and 
  the 
  smaller 
  rabbits 
  are 
  also 
  habitually 
  eaten. 
  

   The 
  coyotes 
  usually 
  catch 
  the 
  rabbits 
  by 
  lying 
  in 
  wait 
  behind 
  bushes 
  

   and 
  bunches 
  of 
  grass 
  near 
  their 
  paths 
  and 
  pouncing 
  upon 
  them 
  as 
  

   they 
  pass. 
  Sometimes 
  they 
  have 
  been 
  known 
  to 
  hunt 
  jack 
  rabbits 
  in 
  

   company. 
  While 
  a 
  single 
  coyote 
  would 
  not 
  be 
  able 
  to 
  run 
  down 
  a 
  

   jack 
  rabbit, 
  by 
  hunting 
  together, 
  taking 
  turns 
  in 
  the 
  drive, 
  and 
  by 
  

   taking 
  advantage 
  of 
  the 
  tendency 
  of 
  the 
  hare 
  to 
  run 
  in 
  a 
  circle, 
  they 
  

   are 
  able 
  to 
  capture 
  it. 
  Eye 
  witnesses 
  to 
  such 
  a 
  performance 
  state 
  

   that 
  they 
  do 
  not 
  fight 
  over 
  the 
  division 
  of 
  the 
  rabbit's 
  carcass, 
  but 
  

   that 
  all 
  obtain 
  a 
  share. 
  The 
  constant 
  warfare 
  of 
  many 
  coyotes 
  upon 
  

   these 
  rodents 
  has 
  much 
  to 
  do 
  in 
  keeping 
  down 
  the 
  numbers 
  ; 
  and 
  the 
  

   abundance 
  of 
  rabbits 
  in 
  some 
  sections 
  of 
  the 
  West 
  has 
  been 
  largely 
  

   attributed 
  to 
  a 
  local 
  decrease 
  in 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  coyotes, 
  caused 
  by 
  an 
  

   unusual 
  activity 
  against 
  them 
  which 
  had 
  been 
  stimulated 
  by 
  high 
  

   bounties. 
  

  

  Prairie 
  dogs 
  (Cynomys 
  ludoviciamis 
  and 
  other 
  species) 
  are 
  also 
  a 
  

   staple 
  coyote 
  food. 
  The 
  coyote 
  captures 
  them 
  by 
  hiding 
  behind 
  

   clumps 
  of 
  weeds 
  or 
  bunches 
  of 
  grass 
  at 
  some 
  distance 
  from 
  the 
  bur- 
  

   rows. 
  When 
  the 
  unsuspecting 
  rodent, 
  in 
  feeding, 
  approaches 
  near 
  

   enough, 
  a 
  few 
  leaps 
  enable 
  the 
  coyote 
  to 
  secure 
  it. 
  The 
  grass 
  in 
  a 
  

  

  