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  COYOTES 
  IN 
  THEIR 
  ECONOMIC 
  RELATIONS. 
  

  

  that 
  we 
  first 
  saw 
  the 
  riders 
  galloping 
  by 
  twos. 
  Soon 
  after 
  we 
  faintly 
  

   heard 
  their 
  distant 
  shouts; 
  and 
  when 
  the 
  shouts 
  began 
  to 
  come 
  

   clearer, 
  the 
  coyotes 
  also 
  came 
  up 
  the 
  valley 
  by 
  ones 
  and 
  twos, 
  and 
  at 
  

   length 
  by 
  threes 
  and 
  fours 
  before 
  the 
  swiftly 
  moving 
  horsemen. 
  

  

  When 
  the 
  first 
  wolf 
  was 
  still 
  a 
  half 
  mile 
  distant, 
  the 
  dogs 
  were 
  

   released 
  and 
  riders 
  and 
  dogs 
  dashed 
  to 
  the 
  front 
  to 
  head 
  off 
  the 
  

   animals. 
  Hemmed 
  in 
  in 
  front 
  and 
  rear, 
  they 
  broke 
  to 
  the 
  right 
  and 
  to 
  

   the 
  left, 
  and 
  many 
  made 
  good 
  their 
  escape 
  through 
  the 
  thinner 
  lines 
  of 
  

   the 
  east 
  and 
  the 
  west 
  divisions. 
  

  

  The 
  sport 
  was 
  fast 
  and 
  furious 
  for 
  a 
  short 
  time, 
  but 
  when 
  a 
  little 
  

   later 
  the 
  dead 
  and 
  captured 
  wolves 
  were 
  brought 
  together 
  in 
  the 
  

   town, 
  they 
  were 
  found 
  to 
  number 
  only 
  eleven 
  in 
  all. 
  Two 
  of 
  them 
  

   were 
  roped 
  by 
  cowboys 
  during 
  the 
  drive 
  and 
  killed 
  with 
  pistols. 
  Two 
  

   were 
  dragged 
  to 
  death 
  at 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  lariats. 
  Seven 
  were 
  caught 
  by 
  

   the 
  dogs 
  in 
  the 
  round-up, 
  and 
  two 
  of 
  these 
  were 
  brought 
  in 
  alive. 
  

   Many 
  escaped, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  impossible 
  to 
  estimate 
  the 
  number. 
  

  

  Such 
  hunts 
  have 
  considerable 
  influence 
  in 
  decreasing 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  

   coyotes 
  and 
  also 
  afford 
  an 
  agreeable 
  break 
  in 
  the 
  monotony 
  of 
  fron- 
  

   tier 
  life. 
  Their 
  purpose, 
  however, 
  is 
  never 
  admitted 
  to 
  be 
  that 
  of 
  

   sport, 
  but 
  to 
  kill 
  coyotes. 
  

  

  BOUNTIES. 
  

  

  Activity 
  in 
  the 
  warfare 
  against 
  the 
  coyote 
  has 
  been 
  considerably 
  

   stimulated 
  by 
  the 
  payment 
  of 
  bounties 
  from 
  the 
  public 
  treasury 
  of 
  

   the 
  States 
  and 
  counties. 
  Nearly 
  all 
  the 
  States 
  in 
  which 
  coyotes 
  occur 
  

   have 
  been 
  for 
  years 
  maintaining 
  such 
  bounty 
  systems. 
  In 
  some 
  

   parts 
  of 
  the 
  West 
  these 
  are 
  supplemented 
  by 
  rewards 
  from 
  stock 
  

   associations 
  or 
  ranch 
  owners. 
  The 
  bounties 
  from 
  public 
  funds 
  have 
  

   ranged 
  from 
  25 
  cents 
  to 
  $5 
  for 
  each 
  animal 
  killed, 
  but 
  supplementary 
  

   payments 
  sometimes 
  make 
  them 
  as 
  high 
  as 
  $15. 
  

  

  The 
  subject 
  of 
  bounties 
  in 
  general 
  has 
  been 
  already 
  discussed 
  by 
  

   Dr. 
  T. 
  S. 
  Palmer, 
  of 
  the 
  Biological 
  Survey. 
  Doctor 
  Palmer 
  refers 
  to 
  

   the 
  California 
  coyote 
  act 
  of 
  1891, 
  which 
  was 
  practically 
  in 
  force 
  only 
  

   eighteen 
  months, 
  but 
  which 
  cost 
  the 
  State 
  $187,485. 
  As 
  the 
  bounty 
  

   was 
  $5 
  per 
  scalp, 
  this 
  represented 
  the 
  destruction 
  of 
  37,493 
  coyotes. 
  

   Kansas, 
  with 
  a 
  county 
  bounty 
  of 
  $1 
  per 
  animal, 
  succeeds 
  in 
  destroying 
  

   about 
  20,000 
  each 
  year. 
  In 
  addition 
  to 
  the 
  bounty, 
  the 
  pelt 
  of 
  an 
  

   adult 
  coyote 
  is 
  worth 
  from 
  50 
  cents 
  to 
  $1.50, 
  according 
  to 
  its 
  condi- 
  

   tion. 
  However, 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  killing 
  is 
  accomplished 
  in 
  spring, 
  when 
  

   the 
  female 
  and 
  her 
  young 
  are 
  dug 
  out 
  of 
  dens 
  and 
  the 
  pelage 
  of 
  the 
  

   adults 
  is 
  not 
  in 
  prime 
  condition. 
  

  

  Doctor 
  Palmer 
  rightly 
  concludes 
  that 
  in 
  practice 
  bounties 
  for 
  the 
  

   destruction 
  of 
  noxious 
  animals, 
  paid 
  from 
  public 
  funds, 
  are 
  usually 
  

  

  " 
  Extermination 
  of 
  Noxious 
  Animals 
  by 
  Bounties. 
  Yearbook 
  U. 
  S. 
  Dept. 
  of 
  

   Agr., 
  1890, 
  pp. 
  55-08. 
  

  

  