88 WATCHED BY WILD ANIMALS 
But off on the desert was a suspended lake 
mirage. Two coyotes appeared just beneath 
the near edge, their heads completely lost in 
the mirage, their headless bodies walking— 
a most startling exhibit, even for a desert. 
The coyote has a peculiar mental make-up. 
He has all the keen alertness of the wolf and 
the audacious cunning of the fox. His fox-like 
face at times takes on a serio-comic expression. 
At other times he has a most expectant look as 
he sits and watches, or listens, with head tilted 
on one side and sharp ears pointing slightly 
forward. He has actions, characteristics, and 
attitudes that make him excel even the fox 
for the purpose of fable making. 
There are numerous Indian myths concern- 
ing the coyote; in fact, he takes the place the 
fox has in primitive European folklore. Nu- 
merous tribes pay the coyote tribute in daily 
food. Their belief accredits him with the au- 
dacity and the cunning to seize fire from forbid- 
den sources and deliver this enduring comfort 
to the fireless red men. Among most Indian 
tribes he is regarded with favour. Many Indian 
dogs are descendants of the coyote. 
The coyote is a small, fleet-footed, keen- 
witted animal, tawny or yellowish brown in 
colour. He is, of course, a wolf; but he is only 
a little more than half the weight of his large 
