﻿14 
  COYOTES 
  IN 
  THEIR 
  ECONOMIC 
  RELATIONS. 
  

  

  Among 
  them 
  are 
  the 
  weasels. 
  In 
  August, 
  1903, 
  a 
  member 
  of 
  the 
  Bio- 
  

   logical 
  Survey 
  met 
  a 
  coyote 
  carrying 
  a 
  weasel 
  in 
  the 
  Pecos 
  River 
  

   Mountains 
  of 
  New 
  Mexico 
  at 
  an 
  altitude 
  of 
  11,600 
  feet. 
  The 
  coyote, 
  

   frightened, 
  dropped 
  its 
  prey 
  and 
  ran 
  off. 
  The 
  various 
  kinds 
  of 
  

   skunks 
  also 
  are 
  probably 
  captured 
  and 
  eaten. 
  

  

  GAME 
  DESTEOYED 
  BY 
  COYOTES. 
  

  

  Coyotes 
  destroy 
  considerable 
  game. 
  Birds 
  that 
  roost 
  and 
  nest 
  

   on 
  the 
  ground 
  are 
  frequent 
  victims. 
  Quail, 
  grouse, 
  and 
  wild 
  ducks 
  

   are 
  caught 
  on 
  the 
  nest, 
  and 
  both 
  birds 
  and 
  eggs 
  are 
  eaten. 
  Wild 
  

   ducks 
  and 
  geese, 
  when 
  wounded 
  and 
  unable 
  to 
  fly, 
  may 
  be 
  found 
  

   along 
  the 
  banks 
  of 
  streams 
  and 
  ponds, 
  and 
  the 
  coyotes 
  regularly 
  

   patrol 
  the 
  shores 
  in 
  search 
  of 
  them. 
  In 
  Oklahoma 
  I 
  found 
  fresh 
  

   coyote 
  tracks 
  each 
  morning 
  on 
  the 
  grassy 
  borders 
  of 
  a 
  large 
  artificial 
  

   pond. 
  Ducks 
  resorted 
  there 
  in 
  considerable 
  flocks, 
  and 
  I 
  several 
  

   times 
  found 
  that 
  they 
  had 
  been 
  eaten 
  by 
  coyotes, 
  as 
  evidenced 
  by 
  

   tracks 
  of 
  the 
  animals 
  and 
  feathers 
  of 
  the 
  birds. 
  

  

  Like 
  the 
  larger 
  wolves, 
  the 
  prairie 
  wolf 
  kills 
  deer 
  and 
  antelope. 
  In 
  

   hunting 
  these 
  they 
  always 
  go 
  in 
  packs 
  of 
  two 
  or 
  more 
  and 
  take 
  turns 
  

   in 
  the 
  chase. 
  They 
  know 
  that 
  their 
  prey 
  runs 
  in 
  large 
  circles, 
  and 
  

   at 
  intervals 
  individuals 
  drop 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  pursuit 
  and, 
  crossing 
  a 
  chord 
  

   of 
  the 
  circle, 
  lie 
  in 
  wait 
  until 
  the 
  quarry 
  passes 
  near 
  them 
  again. 
  

   In 
  this 
  way 
  the 
  wolves 
  keep 
  fresh 
  until 
  the 
  pursued 
  animal 
  is 
  ex- 
  

   hausted, 
  but 
  all 
  of 
  them 
  are 
  ' 
  in 
  at 
  the 
  death.' 
  The 
  present 
  scarcity 
  

   of 
  these 
  large 
  game 
  animals 
  gives 
  few 
  opportunities 
  for 
  such 
  chases, 
  

   but 
  on 
  the 
  plains 
  they 
  were 
  formerly 
  of 
  frequent 
  occurrence. 
  

  

  DEPREDATIONS 
  ON 
  FARM 
  ANIMALS. 
  

  

  The 
  coyote 
  is 
  widely 
  and 
  unfavorably 
  known 
  as 
  a 
  destroyer 
  of 
  

   domestic 
  animals. 
  Its 
  depredations 
  upon 
  these 
  indicate 
  a 
  marked 
  

   change 
  of 
  habit 
  since 
  the 
  first 
  settlement 
  of 
  the 
  West. 
  Previously 
  

   its 
  food 
  was 
  restricted 
  to 
  the 
  wild 
  animals, 
  including 
  young 
  buffalo, 
  

   antelope, 
  and 
  deer. 
  The 
  destruction 
  of 
  the 
  larger 
  game 
  by 
  man 
  may 
  

   partly 
  account 
  for 
  the 
  change 
  to 
  farm 
  animals 
  as 
  a 
  diet, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  

   probable 
  that 
  the 
  quality 
  of 
  the 
  introduced 
  food 
  had 
  much 
  to 
  do 
  with 
  

   the 
  coyote's 
  preference 
  for 
  it. 
  

  

  The 
  coyote 
  kills 
  hens, 
  ducks, 
  geese, 
  and 
  turkeys. 
  Its 
  usual 
  method 
  

   of 
  capturing 
  them 
  in 
  daytime 
  is 
  to 
  lurk 
  behind 
  weeds 
  or 
  bushes 
  

   until 
  the 
  fowls 
  come 
  within 
  reach. 
  Turkeys, 
  which 
  range 
  far 
  afield 
  

   in 
  search 
  of 
  grasshoppers 
  and 
  other 
  insects, 
  are 
  frequent 
  victims. 
  At 
  

   night 
  the 
  coyote 
  captures 
  poultry 
  from 
  the 
  roost, 
  provided 
  the 
  door 
  

   of 
  the 
  henhouse 
  is 
  left 
  open. 
  A 
  correspondent 
  of 
  the 
  Biological 
  

   Survey 
  wrote 
  from 
  Rexburg, 
  Idaho, 
  that 
  one 
  neighbor 
  had 
  lost 
  GO 
  

  

  