204 WATCHED BY WILD ANIMALS 



see a coyote trot leisurely across and just be- 

 fore he disappeared in the woods a lion appear 

 on the opposite side of the opening, following 

 contentedly along the trail of the coyote. 

 The next day I again saw this friendly pair, but 

 on this occasion the lion was leading and the 

 coyote following. Afterward I saw their tracks 

 a number of times. 



Just why they were associated in this friendly 

 manner we can only conjecture. It will be 

 readily seen that the coyote, which has all the 

 wisdom of a fox, might follow a game-hog lion 

 about and thus, with little effort, get a sub- 

 stantial and satisfactory food supply. But why 

 the lion should willingly associate with a coyote 

 is not quite clear. Perhaps this association 

 proved to be of some advantage to the lion in 

 his killing, or it may have been just one of those 

 peculiar, unaccounted-for attachments occasion- 

 ally seen between animals. 



In any discussion concerning the mountain 

 lion, or, for that matter, any living animal, 

 hardly can the last word be said concerning the 

 character of the individual of the species. 

 Individuals vary, and now and then a mountain 

 lion, as well as a human being, shows marked 

 and peculiar traits. These may be the result 

 of unusual alertness and sheer curiosity, or 

 they may be subnormal, and cruel or murderous. 



