gelatine capsules filled with powdered alkaloid strychnine, making the bait the size of a small walnut, have proven the most effective for coyotes, without endangering the birds to any considerable extent. Tallow balls are also effective. Under ordinary conditions eight or ten of such baits to the mile along the trail are likely to account for such coyotes as discover the trail. The most common mistake of hunters is that they place too many baits in a given territory, even occasionally placing one hundred or more baits, where, if full hopes were realized, not more than five or six coyotes could be poisoned. If a large number of baits are distributed in any given territory, the hunter should carefully recover those not taken after a reasonable exposure. RECOMMENDATIONS AND SUMMARY From this brief résumé one can gain some idea of what promises to be an eminently practical piece of work. It must be remembered that this campaign was called into being on short notice and that time is required to build an efficient and effective organization of the size necessary to handle the present problem. Fortunately, the fact that the Biological Survey had a small force already in the field has made the work of organization easier, and results indicate that the present combination is approaching perfection. It is planned to gradually move the forces into southern Nevada, as the sheep and cattle are moved to the winter ranges. The first step in this direction was made recently, when a force of 15 hunters was placed in the southern half of Nevada, ranging from Lincoln County across Nye County into Esmeralda, Lyon, and Churchill Counties. At present the greatest number of coyotes are being taken in the northern districts in the immediate vicinity of the large herds of cattle and sheep that are on the summer ranges. It is quite noticeable that the coyotes migrate with the stock, and it is planned to place most of the hunters on those ranges where stock is at present grazing and where losses by predatory animals are resulting. The men are gradually being moved from those localities where the coyotes have been eradicated and where the work is no longer needed. It is believed that the laws governing dogs should be made more stringent, and, with this cooperation on the part of the state, county, and city authorities, the stamping out of this costly and dangerous disease will be more quickly brought about. ITEMS OF INTEREST One of our hunters in the Owyhee desert country during the latter part of May, succeeded in taking in one day 5 coyotes and 2 bobeats. This is of especial interest because these animals were taken in the direct path of the rabies which enters Nevada from southern Idaho and southeastern Oregon. Reports show that in the northern valleys, along the Oregon and Idaho boundary, our hunters are taking more predatory animals than elsewhere in Nevada. The scarcity of coyotes in the rabies district where the present campaign is being conducted has been wrongly attributed to the death of the coyotes from rabies. While it is true that a great number of coyotes have been killed by rabies earlier in the season, still the majority of dead coyotes found within the rabies district have been undoubtedly killed by the strychnine baits which have been distributed fairly evenly over the entire northern half of Nevada. One stockman recently reported finding 27 poisoned coyotes in a locality where government poisoning operations had been in progress. A record of the rabies examinations made in the laboratory at the University of Nevada shows positive cases of rabies occurring during the month of May at Mason, Fallon, Austin, Pyramid Lake, 2 cases five miles east of Reno, and 2 cases at Eureka. In addition our hunters have killed during May in the course of their work 8 rabid coyotes. Since the inauguration of the present campaign the scalps and skins of over 3,200 coyotes have been turned in at the Winnemucca office by our hunters. This does not give a fair representation of the total number destroyed during the course of the work, as many of the poisoned coyotes have been scalped by private parties and many that were overlooked by our hunters have been reported found by stockmen. During April and May 1,559 coyotes were taken. The distribution of hunters is as follows: |