Index to this volume
Jepson Field Book Transcriptions · Jepson Herbarium
Index to all books
|
40_190 Pope Valley, May 8, 1924. Napa Co. No. 10,418a. Cotyledon laxa B.&W. = Dudleya caespitosa Ca_on sides, Pole Creek, May 8, 1924. - A new drive of extermination is being waged against the Coyote in this region. It is wonderful what opprobious epithets are hurled against him, especially thief and coward. As to thief man cannot well, in decency, hurl that word at him. That word shoud be reserved for our Carnegies, Rockefellers, Stanfords and the like. Thievery practiced on a colossal scale, and under the hypocrisy of legal forms, is still thievery. Perhaps if the coyote drove off several thousand sheep or calves he would not be called a thief but a corporate operator or something like that. As to coward it is not seemly that man should hurl that term at him either. With his (man's) superior means if destruction to the |
40_191 Berkeley, May, 1924 death it is hardly sporting. It may be that the coyote is not so very brave physically. Man is to be sure brave physically, the great majority show physical courage, especially when they move in mass. Physical courage, altho so highly praised in ballad and romance, is yet after all exceedingly common. On the other hand as to moral courage, often spoken of as backbone, the species man is lacking as to the vast majority. Few men have moral courage. Tho', as said, they still retain physical courage, doubtless retained from the primitive state, especially when moving in mass or pack. There seems to me, on the other hand, some reason for endowing the coyote with an attribute similar to moral courage. It requires something to stand out consistently against the concerted attack of man and not win out as the coyote has so many times against a war of extermination, still yelping defiance and |
ms. | Copyright © 2007 Regents of the University of California | Credits: |
ms.