go WATCHED BY WILD ANIMALS 
stones. The den commonly is in an out-of-the- 
way place and the entrance to it is concealed 
by stones or bushes. 
Coyotes often have three or more dens. A 
change is probably helpful in keeping down para- 
sites, and I am certain that their use of more 
than one den confuses and defeats their pursuers. 
Many a man has dug into a coyote’s den and 
found it empty when only the day before he had 
seen it used by the entire family. 
The young are born in April or May, in lit- 
ters of from five to ten. They grow rapidly 
and in a few weeks show all the cunning ways 
and playfulness of puppies. When safe they 
spend hours outside the den, wrestling, digging, 
or sleeping in the sun. In two dens I examined 
each youngster had a separate compartment 
or pocket for himself; and, judging from claw 
marks, probably he had dug this himself. In 
July the youngsters are taken out into the 
world, where they learn the tactics of wresting 
a living from the fields. 
The coyote is a swift runner and easily out- 
strips the gray wolf. The average horse cannot 
catch him and probably the greyhound is the 
only dog that can overtake him. Swift as he 
is, however, the jack rabbit and the antelope 
leave him behind. 
Coyotes often hunt in pairs and occasionally 
