127 

 THE COUGAR OR PANTHER. 



WILLIAM PITTMAX LETT. 



(Read 10th March, 1887.) 



TLis interesting animal [Fells concolor, L.) has been vaiiously 

 called Cougar and Panther in North America, Piinca in South America, 

 '' Mountain Lion " in some of tho Western States, and ' California 

 Lion" in Californici. Amongst the old trappers and hunters, it \va& 

 known as the "Panther;" and many startling and wonderful stories 

 liave been told regarding its size and ferocity by those hardy pioneeis 

 of the wildei'uess, who followed their adventurous occupation, with 

 their eyes always on the watch for the tomahawk and the scalping 

 knife, and tlieir eai-s ever open for the sound of the war-whoop. Thoy 

 dealt largely in the marvellous, in those far back times those early 

 days, before the woodman's exterminating axe and the resistless march 

 of the battalions of civilization, had driven out from their forest fasi' 

 nesses the gieat ruminants and tho larger and fiercer carnivora which 

 formerly abounded in localities where they are now unknown . The 

 habitat of the Cougar is confined to the Ameiican Continent, ranging 

 from Canada to the equatorial foi-ests, and as far south as Terra del 

 Fuego. It is found in the range of tho Andes at an altitude of 9,000 

 feet, and is quite common in South America, as well as in the forests 

 around the Rocky Mountains. It abounded, at one time, in tho Valley 

 of the Ottawa, in considerable numbers. The Cougar belongs to the 

 Felklae, or cat family ; and, except the Jaguar, is the largest animal of 

 its kind in America. 



A full grown cougar of the largest size of which we have any 

 authentic account, measures eight feet in length from the point of the 

 nose to the extremity of the tail, and weighs about one hundred and 

 fifty pounds. In some rare instances, specimens have been found 

 reaching the uncommon weight of two hundrel pounds. In a recen** 

 interesting work on Wild Animals, written by Major Nutt, of 

 Montreal, an account is given of a cougar which was killed in Texas, 

 in 188.3, which measured nine feet four inches, and weighed two 

 hundred and forty pounds. "The American Field,'' an excellent 



