120 DENIZENS OF THE DESERT 



So the Coyote drew back and listened most 

 attentively. By and by the Beetle lifted himself 

 with a long sigh of relief. 



"Okwe!" exclaimed the Coyote. "What was 

 going on?" 



"The GOOD SOUL save us!" exclaimed the Beetle 

 with a shake of his head. "I have heard them say- 

 ing down there that to-morrow they would chase 

 away and thoroughly chastise everybody who de- 

 filed the public trails of this country, and they are 

 making ready as fast as they can!" 



"Souls of my ancestors!" cried the Coyote. "I 

 have been loitering along the trail this very morn- 

 ing, and have defiled it repeatedly. I'll cut!" 

 And away he ran as fast as he could go. 



The Beetle in pure exuberance of spirits turned 

 somersaults and struck his head in the sand until 

 it was quite turned. 



Thus did the Beetle in the days of the ancients 

 save himself from being bitten. . . . Thus shortens 

 my story. 



Though often spoken of as a bug, this insect 

 is a true beetle. We know this because he chews 

 his food and has hard horny wing covers. Bugs 

 always suck their food through a long, needle- 

 like proboscis, or beak, and they have soft wing 

 covers. One day I became curious to know what 

 was under the high arched wing covers of the 

 tumblebug. A dissection revealed that a great 



