18 CARNIVORA. 



PUMA. 



Felis concolor. 

 French : Le Cougouar. German : Kuguar. 



This very graceful animal has often been known as 

 the Lion of America, and has sometimes been called the 

 Panther or Couguar. 



It inhabits many of the States of the North American 

 Eepublic, such as Florida, Montana (Yellow Stone Park), 

 New York State, and Texas, and is also distributed over 

 the greater part of Central and South America. It is 

 rarely seen in the Dominion of Canada ; a few are, 

 however, taken in the West (British Columbia) and in 

 Vancouver Island. 



The Puma is about 4 or 5 feet long, and its tail, 

 which is rather bushy, is nearly as long as its body ; 

 the general colour is an uniform light dun-brown ; the 

 fur of the belly is lighter and longer, and the tail is 

 tipped with black. 



It is rather an abundant animal ; its skin is, however, 

 of little value, and is chiefly used for wrappers or rugs : 

 a good large skin is worth about 5s. 



The value of a live Puma is about .i£25. 



The Puma is capable of making long leaps, a spring 

 of 20 feet not being uncommon ; it is said to prey on 

 the Porcupine of North America. 



Mr. W. H. Hudson thus describes the Puma as being 

 a deadly enemy of the A^izcacha in desert parts of South 

 America : "Of these the Puma or Lion {FcUs concolor) 

 is the most numerous, as it is also the swiftest, most 

 subtle, and most voracious ; for, as regards these traits. 



