THE PUMA, OR AMERICAN LION. 1*27 



pursue him until he stops to defend himself. If the 

 dogs fly upon him, the guacho jumps off his horse, 

 arid while he is contending- with his enemies, he 

 strikes him on the head with the balls, to which 

 an extraordinary momentum can he given. If the 

 dogs are at hay, and afraid to attack their foe, the 

 guacho then hurls his lasso over him, and gallopping 

 away, drags him along the ground, while the hounds 

 rush upon him, and tear him. 



In the northern districts, it inhabits the swamps 

 and prairies, living chiefly upon different species of 

 deer, upon which it is said sometimes to drop from 

 a tree, which it had ascended to watch their path ; 

 or it makes inroads upon the hogs of the squatter, who 

 has ventured to the unopened country. Other kinds 

 of food, however, arc sought after, and taken without 

 much discrimination ; and the Royal Society of Lon- 

 don possesses a skin of a puma which was said to 

 be shot in the act of devouring a wolf. Unlike most 

 of the other Felinae, it is not satisfied with the 

 seizure of a single prey ; but, when meeting with a 

 herd of animals, will kill as many as it can, sucking 

 only a small portion of the blood from each. It is 

 thus extremely destructive among sheep, and has 

 been known to kill fifty in one night. Active means 

 are, therefore, constantly in use for its destruction, 

 and it is either hunted, speared, or shot. Mo- 

 lina and Azara say that it will flee from men, and 

 ilis timidity renders the pursuit generally free from 



