THE COYOTE 
67 
enough to live and multiply in spite of the coming of 
man. Man has shot him and trapped him and poi- 
soned him for years, but still his family lives on. Man 
has killed off many animals, so that they are hard to 
find now, but not this fellow.” 
“What kind of dog is he, Uncle Ely? A police 
dog?” Buck was greatly interested. The entire fam¬ 
ily was watching the beast. 
“A barking dog, having the scientific name of 
latrans. But he is generally known by his Spanish 
name—coyote.” 
“O-o-h, is that a coyote?” Mother exclaimed. “I 
have heard of them and read about them all my life!” 
“That’s a coyote,” Uncle Ely repeated. “Smart¬ 
est wild fellow in the West, I would say. He is a 
famous wild dog.” 
The coyote had moved from his sitting position. 
He trotted a few feet, then paused to stare at the 
people again, as if very curious about them. He did 
indeed look just like a young police dog, except that 
his nose was thinner, and very pointed. He moved 
gracefully. His tail was fluffy and pretty, but it 
drooped low. 
“If he is wild, why isn’t he afraid of us, Uncle 
Ely?” asked Ginger. 
