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Prompted by the studies of Atkinson, Shackleton, and MacCracken, on the diets of coyotes, Timothy Quinn conducted an observation study report on the "annual diet on coyotes" (90) in three different "urban" areas to further understand how the diets are influenced by humans and "land use patterns." (90). Quinn's study took place in an urban part of Washington, where "much of the land has been developed for urban and agricultural uses", but still retains clumps of "naturally regenerated forest." (90). Quinn picked three different environments of the urban land to study the coyote scat, each environment varying in human population and size. He researched each area very thoroughly, obtaining all needed information for his report, such as population. He also figured in the population of surrounding areas, taking into account the possibility that the coyotes left their feces in places nowhere near where they ate. Quinn picked places with large coyote numbers to decrease his chances of coming across the dung of other sources. Next he was ready to begin observing.
Quinn's experimental methods began with ridding all of his study areas of any droppings to start fresh...