468 COYOTE TALES. 
145. HOW RABBIT LOST HIS TAIL.’ 
Rabbit was going along the creek, jumping here and there, and he 
saw the limb of a willow. He tried to jump over the limb, and as he 
jumped over, his tail caught on the end of the limb and he pulled so hard 
to get loose that he pulled his tail off. He left his tail on the limb and 
went on crying, and at the same time singing: 
Did I lose my tail in the timber? 
Did I lose my tail in the timber? 
My tail, Rabbit’s tail? 
Turtle moved out near to Rabbit. He spoke and said: ‘‘You say you 
lost your tail?’’ Rabbit said: ‘‘Yes.”’ ‘‘Why don’t you look behind you 
and see if your tail isnot hanging on tothe willows?’ ‘‘Very well,’ said 
Rabbit, ‘“‘I willgoandhuntformy tail.” ‘‘But,’’ said Turtle, “‘since you 
have lost your tail upon the willows, the willows will have white fur at the 
ends in the fall, so that the people will always know that you lost your 
tail upon the willow limbs.”’ Rabbit went back and there his tail was 
upon the willow. He jumped up and took the tail from the limb, and 
carried it to the Turtle, who replaced his tail. Rabbit thanked Turtle 
and went on his way, singing: 
Now I have my tail, 
Now I have my tail, 
Now I have my tail. 
Turtle crawling on the ground, 
Now I have my tail, 
Helped me to find it. 
This is why we have white burrs upon the willows. 
146. THE WHITE AND BLACK RATS.’ 
A black and a white were the first two Rats that were put upon the 
earth. The White Rat was going upstream to the west, while the black 
one was going towards the east. The Black Rat was saying: ‘“‘I am 
hunting for food. J am hunting for food.’’ The White Rat was also cry- 
ing: ‘“‘I am hunting for food. I am hunting for food.’’ Upon the limb 
where they met, sat Magpie. He said: ‘‘Stop crying and listen to me.”’ 
The two Rats stopped crying, and Magpie sang to the Black Rat: 
1Told by Woman-Yellow-Corn, one of the oldest women among the Skidi, and 
amember of the medicine-society, The story is told to teach people how the 
rabbit lost its tail, 
?Told by Woman-Yellow-Corn, Skidi. The story is told to the children to 
teach them that the white rats were given earth-nuts, while the black rats were 
hes artichokes, and that these two animals gave these two things to the people 
or food. 
