138 THE FUR TRADE OF AMERICA 



is a beautiful fur in itself undyed ; and the prices justify Lynx being 

 sold always as Lynx. In Montreal in 1920, 686 Lynx sold at an 

 average of $62 to #45 for the various grades ; in St. Louis, of 

 #51 for Northern Lynx, #12 for Southern Lynx, and #2.50 for plain 

 wild cat ; in New York, for #50 for the best and #1.50 for New Eng- 

 land wild cat. 



Cougar or Puma 



The Cougar, or Rocky Mountain Lion, is a poor specimen of a 

 lion and not a very reputable specimen of the cat. He is thin, 

 slab-sided, long-bodied, low-set and not so large as the tiger or 

 panther. Cornered he will fight ; and in the days of old blunder- 

 buss fire-arms with short range, that doubtless give rise to the weird 

 stories of his terrors to pioneer settlers from Tennessee to the Rock- 

 ies ; but he is an arrant, blood-thirsty coward, preying only on crea- 

 tures smaller than himself and indulging in such nasty wolf tricks 

 as hanging on the herds of stockmen in the West to ham-string the 

 calves and colts, of which I have known as many young as 10 to 18 

 to be mutilated by this stealthy beast of prey in a night, round 

 Calgary district in its early ranching days. Its fur is shallow and 

 suitable only for rugs; though the hide is tough as leather; and 

 every cougar rug I have ever seen in a pioneer's shanty symbolized 

 to me the lives of so many smaller fur bearers saved. Though I 

 have heard the unearthly screams at night, the only cougar I have 

 ever seen was many years ago in Okanogan Valley, British Columbia. 

 I was staying at the home of the first settler in that valley. He had 

 just set out the first orchard in that fruit country. It was sunset. 

 We were going through the young orchard, when we noticed a slight 

 movement amid the evergreens lining the orchard. Some young 

 fawns the exact color of the yellowing frost-touched poplars were 

 stealing shyly down to drink, when we became aware there was 

 another watcher at the drinking pool — crouched prone, the shade 

 of the withered grasses — a cougar of respectable size. Our fruit 

 rancher motioned us not to move nor speak; but before he could 



