THE COUGAR 



fallen tree, or an overhanging rock protecting 

 a snug dry bed beneath from rain or snow, which 

 are always situated on a wind-sheltered hillside 

 facing south. When such a place is known, the 

 hunter should scrupulously refrain from going 

 near it, to avoid leaving any scent there; but he 

 should observe the " nest " as often as he comes 

 into its vicinity, and from a convenient distant 

 point. If the " nest " has an occupant, it is bet- 

 ter to let a bullet investigate before the hunter 

 does so himself, for a cat is a cat, and if its 

 suspicions are aroused, the devil cannot beat it in 

 trickiness it will vanish unobserved without the 

 hunter knowing how it could have done so. I 

 once shot one out of a bunch of three, and felt 

 sure the remaining two were " my meat," yet not 

 a spot of yellow of them did I see afterward, 

 although every nook within three hundred yards 

 of the surrounding country was seemingly open 

 to my scouting. 



This is tedious hunting, of course, and the 

 number of cougars would not be appreciably les- 

 sened by the method ; but one lion outwitted thus 

 is worth perhaps, as a trophy of skill, a score 



95 



