In the days before the white man, bison roamed the western plains in great herds which were constantly followed by packs of wolves and coyotes. As long as the bison remained close together they were relatively safe, but woe to the sick or weak that lagged behind. These were quickly pulled down, and after wolves had eaten the choicest portions, the coyotes and vultures moved in for the rest. When the white man exterminated the bison, the wolves’ host was gone and they turned to the logical substitute, the white man’s cattle. This could have but one result. In the predator control campaign which followed, a wedge was driven through the wolf population of the Southwest, leaving one group isolated in Utah and Colorado and another in southern Arizona and New Mexico. The latter group is actually formed by immigration of wolves from Mexico. It fluctuates in numbers as the animals move back and forth across the border in response to local conditions. During the extermination program, the behavior of the wolf was affected to a considerable extent. Accounts of early travelers stress the easy familiarity with which the gray wolf accepted their presence. When a wayfarer shot a bison, the wolf sat down within easy range and waited until the choicest cuts had been taken away. It then moved in for its share. Since that time the wolf has become one of the most wary and cunning of our wild creatures. Gifted with a keen intelligence, it has found that only by complete isolation can it escape the methods devised for its destruction. To this end, it has moved from the plains into the more inaccessible places in the mountains. Few will ever see a wolf in the Southwest again, and I consider myself fortunate to have seen this gray ghost of the plains in years long past, and to have heard its deep howl break the silence of a cold winter night. [Illustration: gray wolf] Coyote _Canis latrans_ (Latin: dog ... barking) Range: The coyote is common throughout the Southwest. [Illustration: Habitat map] Habitat: This little wolf, once a creature of the prairies, now is found in all life zones and among many different associations.