s, third he is so destructive among the
creatures that he can master. He is a beast of rare cunning; some of the
Indians call him God's dog or Medicine dog. Some make him the embodiment
of the Devil, and some going still further, in the light of their larger
experience, make the Coyote the Creator himself seeking amusement in
disguise among his creatures, just as did the Sultan in the "Arabian
Nights."

[Illustration]

The naturalist finds the Coyote interesting for other reasons. When you
see that sleek gray and yellow form among the mounds of the Prairie-dog,
at once creating a zone of blankness and silence by his very presence as
he goes, remember that he is hunting for something to eat; also, that
there is another, his mate, not far away. For the Coyote is an
exemplary and moral little beast who has only one wife; he loves her
devotedly, and they fight the life battle together. Not only is there
sure to be a mate close by, but that mate, if invisible, is likely to be
playing a game, a very clever game as I have seen it played.

Furthermore, remember there is a squealing brood of little Coyotes in
the home den up on a hillside a mile or two away. Father and mother must
hunt continually and successfully to furnish their daily food. The
dog-towns are their game preserves, but how are they to catch a
Prairie-dog! Every one knows that though these little yapping
Ground-squirrels will sit up and bark at an express train but twenty
feet away, they scuttle down out of sight the moment a man, dog or
Coyote enters into the far distant precincts of their town; and
downstairs they stay in the cyclone cellar until after a long interval
of quiet that probably proves the storm to be past. Then they poke their
prominent eyes above the level, and, if all is still, will softly hop
out and in due course, resume their feeding.

THE PRAIRIE-DOG OUTWITTED

[Illustration]

This is how the clever Coyote utilizes these habits. He and his wife
approach the dog-town unseen. One Coyote hides, then the other walks
forward openly into the town. There is a great barking of all the
Prairie-dogs as they see their enemy approach, but they dive down when
he is amongst them. As soon as they are out of sight the second Coyote
rushes forward and hides near any promising hole that happens to have
some sort of cover close by. Meanwhile, Coyote number one strolls on.
The Prairie-dogs that he scared below come up again. At first each puts
up the t