DON COYOTE 159 



man. Only once have I heard of them attack- 

 ing a human being. One of the ranchmen at 

 the Whitewater Ranch on the Colorado Desert 

 was irrigating one evening and was approached 

 by a small pack of lean, hungry-looking coyotes. 

 They dogged his steps and menacingly tried to 

 snap at him. He was able to keep them off and 

 finally to drive them away only by throwing 

 water from the ditch upon them with his shovel. 

 Though coyotes are more or less sociable 

 animals among themselves, there are seldom 

 more than two or three together, though their 

 rollicking, yelping barks would lead one to 

 think two dozen were coming near. Their voices 

 often have a peculiar human sound about them, 

 so that one might easily imagine their cries to 

 be those coming from a group of playful, yelling 

 youngsters. I well remember an old lady, who 

 had spent all her life in Chicago, exclaiming 

 when she first heard the coyotes barking, 

 "Where are all those noisy bad boys?" 



