DON COYOTE 149 



of the mother, will likely come to the rescue 

 and charge upon the murderer. This, the coy- 

 otes seemingly know, and so they prefer to 

 find some miserable cow and her calf out alone 

 on the range. Even full-grown cattle may be 

 attacked when through weakness and thirst 

 they get down and are unable to resist the on- 

 slaughts of voracious enemies. On such occa- 

 sions the coyotes approach them from behind, 

 and, while the poor animals are yet alive, they 

 will tear out their entrails. 



A prospector by the name of Gus Lederer, 

 who lives at Corn Springs in the Chuckawalla 

 Mountains of California, complains bitterly to 

 me about the way the coyotes kill all his cats. 

 A coyote scalp with a bunch of chicken feath- 

 ers and a piece of cat's hide were here nailed 

 upon a palm tree as a proclamation and warn- 

 ing of what may happen to any other coyote 

 that may become too familiar about his place 

 in the future. 



At certain seasons of the year, when other 

 food is scarce, coyotes eke out a scanty living 

 by feeding on dry manzanita berries, gourds 

 (hence often called coyote melons), dates from 



