154 DENIZENS OF THE DESERT 



world of light. The old roving nature now gives 

 way to the maternal instinct to stay as much as 

 possible about the den and guard, suckle, and 

 train the young. The number of puppies in a 

 litter is about five, born during the first days of 

 April. They are as awkward and clumsy as 

 can be, with big heads and ears out of all pro- 

 portion to the size of their bodies. I occasion- 

 ally meet some desert man who entertains the 

 curious idea that coyote mothers feed their 

 young by regurgitation ; that is, by first eating 

 and half digesting the food themselves and then 

 throwing it up into the young coyotes' mouths. 

 One old fellow regarded me with somewhat of a 

 look of mingled scorn and pity when I showed 

 hesitancy in believing his statement to that 

 effect. The truth is, of course, that, like all baby 

 canines, the young subsist entirely upon the 

 mother's milk until they cut their teeth. But 

 even before they have learned to eat solid food, 

 you may see them almost any day playing 

 about the hole making pretense of chewing on 

 old bones or playing at tearing the carcass of 

 some animal the mother has brought in for 

 their delight and to encourage the strengthen- 



