39^ Game of Europe, W. & N. Asia & America 



from the nostrils to the middle of the mouth, is white ; a hlack patch 

 marking the former point, while the nostrils themselves are flesh-coloured. 

 Interiorly a larger or smaller area is whitish, and this light area mav 

 extend on to the inner sides ot the limbs and the under surface of the 

 tail, becoming, however, grey on the latter appendage. In some cases, 

 although apparently not in all, the summer coat is reddish and the winter 

 greyish. In this respect the puma resembles the white- tailed deer, 

 thereby indicating in all probability that there must be some deep-seated 

 cause, at present unknown, connected with this seasonal change of colour. 



Puma cubs when first born show large irregular blackish brown spots 

 on the upper-parts and outer surface of the limbs ; these spots usually 

 disappearing more or less completely when the cubs are about six months 

 old. It is said that photographs of adult pumas sometimes show spotting, 

 although this is invisible in the animal itself. White pumas have been 

 reported, and blackish brown individuals are known to occur, although 

 but rarely. 



As might be expected in the case of an animal with such an enormous 

 geographical range, the puma exhibits great local variation in size and 

 colour ; North American pumas being frequently, or invariably, much 

 larger than those from Central and South America. According to Mr. 

 F. W. True, the average length of the puma in North America is 7 feet 

 I inch, ot which 2^ feet are taken up by the tail. 



From these local variations in size, colour, and the conformation of the 

 skull American naturalists have split up the puma into several distinct 

 species. The conferring of specific rank upon what are essentially nothing 

 more than local races or phases of one and the same animal seems to the 

 present writer a totally erroneous view, and one that tends to obscure the 

 all-important feature of the enormous geographical range of a single tvpe. 

 Accordingly, such local phases, although recognised and named, are here 

 regarded in the light of subspecies of Felis concolor. 



