﻿DEPEEDATIONS 
  ON 
  FAKM 
  ANIMALS. 
  15 
  

  

  chickens 
  and 
  another 
  30 
  in 
  one 
  night, 
  taken 
  by 
  coyotes. 
  Another 
  

   correspondent, 
  in 
  Mayer, 
  Ariz., 
  writes: 
  

  

  Have 
  lost 
  about 
  100 
  chickens 
  by 
  coyotes. 
  With 
  the 
  exception 
  of 
  killing 
  

   chickens, 
  I 
  believe 
  them 
  to 
  be 
  beneficial 
  in 
  keeping 
  down 
  the 
  rabbit 
  pest. 
  

  

  In 
  approaching 
  ranch 
  buildings 
  either 
  by 
  day 
  or 
  by 
  night 
  the 
  

   coyote 
  comes 
  from 
  the 
  leeward 
  side 
  and 
  with 
  great 
  caution. 
  Once 
  

   satisfied 
  that 
  no 
  danger 
  lurks 
  in 
  the 
  shadows, 
  it 
  becomes 
  exceedingly 
  

   bold. 
  George 
  A; 
  Coleman, 
  formerly 
  a 
  member 
  of 
  the 
  Biological 
  

   Survey, 
  wrote 
  from 
  London, 
  Nemaha 
  County, 
  Nebr. 
  : 
  

  

  Depredations 
  by 
  wolves 
  here 
  upon 
  henroosts 
  and 
  pigpens 
  are 
  of 
  frequent 
  

   occurrence. 
  I 
  have 
  observed 
  them 
  several 
  times. 
  They 
  come 
  with 
  a 
  dash 
  

   into 
  the 
  yard, 
  take 
  a 
  chicken 
  by 
  the 
  neck, 
  and 
  are 
  gone 
  before 
  anyone 
  can 
  

   stop 
  them. 
  In 
  the 
  same 
  way 
  they 
  visit 
  the 
  pigpens 
  and 
  take 
  the 
  young 
  pigs 
  

   away 
  from 
  the 
  mother. 
  In 
  one 
  instance 
  they 
  made 
  way 
  with 
  eight 
  6-weeks-old 
  

   pigs 
  in 
  one 
  night. 
  At 
  another 
  time 
  two 
  of 
  them 
  attacked 
  a 
  pig 
  which 
  would 
  

   have 
  weighed 
  75 
  pounds, 
  and 
  had 
  they 
  not 
  been 
  stopped 
  by 
  dogs 
  would 
  prob- 
  

   ably 
  have 
  killed 
  it. 
  

  

  Few 
  of 
  the 
  mammals 
  of 
  the 
  farm 
  are 
  exempt 
  from 
  coyote 
  raids. 
  

   Even 
  house 
  cats, 
  roaming 
  far 
  from 
  home 
  in 
  search 
  of 
  rodents 
  or 
  birds, 
  

   become 
  victims. 
  A 
  correspondent 
  of 
  Forest 
  and 
  Stream, 
  writing 
  

   from 
  Shirley 
  Basin, 
  Wyo., 
  October 
  7, 
  1896, 
  says 
  : 
  

  

  I 
  live 
  on 
  a 
  ranch, 
  and 
  we 
  are 
  somewhat 
  troubled 
  by 
  field 
  mice 
  and 
  mountain 
  

   rats, 
  and 
  so 
  we 
  must 
  keep 
  cats. 
  We 
  have 
  them, 
  but 
  we 
  do 
  not 
  keep 
  them 
  long, 
  

   because 
  they 
  are 
  caught 
  by 
  coyotes. 
  Within 
  a 
  few 
  months 
  I 
  have 
  lost 
  four 
  cats 
  

   in 
  this 
  way. 
  

  

  The 
  coyote 
  has 
  been 
  known 
  to 
  kill 
  the 
  young 
  of 
  most 
  farm 
  ani- 
  

   mals 
  — 
  colts, 
  calves, 
  pigs, 
  lambs, 
  and 
  goats. 
  Colts 
  are 
  seldom 
  killed, 
  

   because 
  the 
  dam 
  can 
  usually 
  protect 
  them. 
  Calves 
  are 
  taken 
  only 
  

   when 
  the 
  mother 
  cow 
  is 
  feeding 
  at 
  a 
  distance 
  or 
  has 
  gone 
  for 
  water. 
  

   The 
  coyotes 
  lie 
  watching 
  in 
  the 
  grass 
  until 
  this 
  opportunity 
  comes. 
  

   Sometimes 
  older 
  animals 
  are 
  killed.- 
  Ranchmen 
  in 
  Oklahoma 
  told 
  

   the 
  writer 
  that 
  in 
  winter 
  yearling 
  cattle 
  in 
  good 
  condition 
  are 
  some- 
  

   times 
  killed 
  by 
  coyotes. 
  To 
  accomplish 
  this 
  two 
  or 
  more 
  of 
  them 
  

   must 
  hunt 
  together, 
  and 
  get 
  the 
  victim 
  separated 
  from 
  the 
  herd. 
  

  

  Capt. 
  P. 
  M. 
  Thorne, 
  writing 
  to 
  the 
  Biological 
  Survey 
  from 
  Fort 
  

   Lyon, 
  Colo., 
  January 
  4, 
  1887, 
  says 
  : 
  

  

  Old 
  cattlemen 
  who 
  have 
  lived 
  here 
  nearly 
  all 
  their 
  lives 
  agree 
  in 
  saying 
  that 
  

   the 
  coyotes 
  kill 
  cattle, 
  even 
  full-grown 
  ones. 
  They 
  say 
  that 
  they 
  have 
  seen 
  

   them 
  at 
  their 
  work, 
  which 
  is 
  done 
  in 
  packs 
  ; 
  they 
  surround 
  an 
  animal 
  and 
  keep 
  

   up 
  a 
  constant 
  nipping 
  at 
  its 
  legs 
  until 
  it 
  falls 
  from 
  weakness 
  and 
  loss 
  of 
  blood. 
  

  

  In 
  July, 
  1893, 
  at 
  Farmington, 
  Utah, 
  Yernon 
  Bailey 
  saw 
  two 
  

   coyotes 
  chasing 
  calves 
  and 
  yearlings 
  about 
  a 
  pasture, 
  evidently 
  trying 
  

   to 
  separate 
  one 
  from 
  the 
  lot. 
  He 
  notes 
  that 
  in 
  June, 
  1889, 
  at 
  St. 
  

   Thomas, 
  Nev., 
  coyotes 
  killed 
  a 
  hog 
  that 
  weighed 
  about 
  100 
  pounds. 
  

  

  