488 
ing complete extirpation of the species 
from the state. 
Badgers are generally considered a 
nuisance, and little appreciation accrues 
ILLINoIs NATURAL History SURVEY BULLETIN 
Vol. 22, Ati 
among horses and cattle. In some locali- 
ties, and in certain years, control measures 
in the form of gassing and poisoned bait, 
now illegal, undoubtedly resulted in some 
Fig. 28—Horseshoe Lake, Alexander County. This and other oxbow lakes along the Mis- 
sissippi, Illinois and Ohio rivers, supplying food, water and relative seclusion, offer potential 
if not actual otter range. 
from their rodent-destroying value. Their 
dens constitute a hazard to livestock, and 
their ability to fight when cornered re- 
sults in the crippling of dogs. “Trappers 
in this state found them hard to hold, 
tough to skin and unprofitable, because 
most Illinois badgers have the coarse, 
“hair-badger”’ type of pelt. For these rea- 
sons there was little deliberate effort to 
trap them even in the years when badger 
trapping was legal, and hunters sought to 
avoid badgers because of the resultant 
fights and maiming of their dogs. Most of 
the badgers were taken incidentally to 
trapping for other animals. Still-hunters 
accounted for a part of the take. Traps 
set at the entrance of dens, mistaken by 
trappers for those of skunks, were most 
productive and a large part of the badger 
catch was so made. 
The most suitable badger habitat in II- 
linois appears to be rolling, sandy grass- 
land prairie. Here the animals dig in- 
numerable dens and holes, partly in pur- 
suit of rodents. Such activities may de- 
stroy some pasture area, in addition to 
being the cause of occasional broken legs 
decrease in the badger population as well 
as that of skunk, woodchuck and other 
mammal species. 
In view of the scarcity of the badger, 
the writers believe it to be worthy of 
full protection except under such circum- 
stances as make control imperative. 
Coyote 
The coyote, according to Gregory 
(1936), was once plentiful in the Chi- 
cago region, later practically extirpated, 
“and only recently beginning to appear 
cccasionally.”’ Its present population in 
the state is very low, and, as determined 
by the survey, it appeared in the fur catch 
only in the Northwestern Sand Prairie. 
It is, however, known to occur in other 
regions of the state. “he tendency of the 
coyote to cross with dogs complicates its 
status considerably and partly accounts 
for the frequent reports of its occurrence. 
In many instances where such reports 
have been checked it was found that the 
animal involved was a police dog, or 
occasionally some other kind. A number 
