THE PUMA 407 



ravages of these pests ; and the destruction inflicted by them on calves and pigs is 

 also considerable. 



With regard to the behavior of the puma towards man, and its courage (or the 

 reverse) in North America, the accounts to hand are not so circumstantial and defi- 

 nite as might be desired. All authorities are, however, agreed that it does not or- 

 dinarily attack human beings, and that when surprised it generally endeavors to make, 

 good its escape. Nevertheless, there are several instances on record where pumas 

 have made such attacks, even in open daylight ; among these we select two quoted 

 by Mr. Perry. One case occurred in the spring of 1886, when some children from 

 Olympia, Washington, were returning home from school. The eldest, a boy of 

 twelve, noticed something that he thought was a large yellow dog, trotting on the 

 road behind them. They paid no attention to it, as large mongrel dogs of this color 

 abound everywhere in the vicinity of the Indian camps, but played leisurely 

 along, as is the custom of children the world over. The youngest boy, a chubby 

 little chap of six summers, who was behind his brothers, suddenly came rolling 

 along in front of his brothers, and a moment later the great cat sprang over the 

 heads of the two astonished boys, seized the little fellow in its mouth, and with a spring 

 vanished from sight in the bushes. Mr. Perry proceeds to relate how the eldest 

 brother, with nothing but an empty bottle, proceeded into the wood and heroically res- 

 cued the child, by beating the puma about the head until the bottle was smashed to 

 atoms, and then attempting to gouge out the creature's eyes with the broken edges 

 of the neck. The second instance occurred to a Swedish sailor named Joseph Jor- 

 genson, in British Columbia. "The man had just commenced to clear a spot in the 

 forest for the purpose of building a house, and was wielding his spade vigorously 

 when suddenly his arm was seized as in a vise. He wheeled instantly, and found 

 that his arm was in the jaws of a couguar. He was a young and powerful man, 

 . . . so, without any preliminaries, he dealt his assailant such a kick in the 

 stomach as to break its hold on his arm, and to lay it prostrate at his feet. The 

 couguar instantly resented this rude treatment. Crouching, it sprang at its foe's 

 throat, but he warded its head from his throat with his left arm, while with his 

 right he dealt it a blow in the ribs that again prostrated it at his side. Quick as a 

 flash it returned to the attack and seized him by the left hand, driving its fangs 

 through the flesh and fearfully lacerating it. It was a fight for life, and Joe, with 

 his brawny fists and heavy boots, beat and kicked the animal with such force that 

 it released its grip on his hand and retired a short distance. Then it crouched and 

 sprang at him again, landing on his breast and knocking him heavily against a 

 tree ; but again he cuffed and kicked it, until it again retreated and crouched for 

 another spring. Fortunately Joe looking down saw the spade he had been using 

 lying at his feet. Stooping quickly he grasped it just in time to ward off the cou- 

 guar's spring by giving it a thrust with the spade. The brute fell at his feet, but 

 instantly rose and seized him by the thigh. Maddened with pain, Joe made a glad- 

 iatorial thrust at the couguar' s head. The sharp blade of the spade went crash- 

 ing through its skull, and it fell dead at his feet." 



To these instances of unprovoked attacks it may be added that the North 

 American puma when attacked by man does not appear ever to exhibit that passive 



