KELIDA 



FELIOE. 



monarch of Persia had on days of audience two great lions chained 

 on each side of the passage to the state-room, led there by keepers in 

 golden chains. Every wild-beast show almost has its tame lion, with 

 which the keeper takes the greatest liberties liberties which the 

 beast will suffer, generally speaking, from none but him. All UICM 

 exhibitions howerer were entirely eclipsed by the feaU of Mr. 

 Van Amburgh, who exercised a complete control over the lions and 

 other grant Feliihr which he had subjected to his will. The imitators 

 <>f Van Amburgh howerer have not been so successful, and instances 

 bare occurred in which persons hare forfeited their lives by their 

 temerity. An instance of this kind occurred a few years ago in 

 England, in which a young woman, who was called the Lion Queen, 

 lost her life in this way. 



Hybrids. The Lion and Tigress will, under certain circumstances, 

 produce young. This has ' happened twice in England. Sir William 

 Jardine gives the figure of one of a litter so bred, mid exhibited in 

 Atkins's collection, where they were whelped, in 1827: they died 

 young. Sir William Jardine correctly describes the colour of the 

 whelps as brighter than that of the Lion, and the bands as better 

 marked than they generally are in the true-bed young lion. The 

 specimen figured by Sir William is in the Edinburgh Museum. 

 Another litter from similar parents was whelped at Windsor ; but 

 these also died before they came to maturity. There does not seeui 

 to be much difficulty in promoting this union. 



Lion-Tiger Cubs. 



The Puma, or American Lion. The uniformity of colour in this 

 great cat, combined with considerable ferocity, were probably the 

 reasons which induced early travellers in America, who heard of it 

 perhaps with circumstances of exaggeration, or caught hasty glimpses 

 of it not unaccompanied with terror, to state that there were lions in 

 America. Thus John de Laet (1633) says, that lions are found in 

 Peru, though they be few, and not so ferocious as they ore in Africa, 

 and that they are called in the native tongue Puma. In an old tract 

 (1649), entitled ' A Perfect Description of Virginia,' we find among 

 the " beasts great and small," " Lyons, Beares, Leopards, Kikes," 

 Ac. ; and Garcilasto tells us of the Puma, or Lion of Peru. In 

 Hernandez (Koma>, 1651) there is a long account of the animal 

 under the name of ' Puma, seu Leo Amcricantu ;' and reasons are 

 given to show that it is not a true lion. In Piso the animal is noticed 

 as the Cuguacuara, and by Marcgrave as the Cuguacurana of the 

 Brazilians ; hence the French name Couguar. Charlevoix describes 

 it clearly enough under the name of Carcajou, or Quincajou; this 

 name Pennant thinks that Charlevoix gives by mistake. In d'Azara's 

 Ooiiaiouara of Paraguay we again trace the French name of this 

 animal. Lawson and Catesby both describe it under the name of the 

 Panther, by which designation it is known to the Anglo-Americans up 

 to this day. It is the Petit concolur of Schreber and of zoologists 

 generally, and though Limucus is often quoted as the author of the 

 name, it will not be found in his last edition of the ' Systema 

 Natuna.' In Omelin's edition it appears as Ptlii conclor (an error 

 for confolor), with Schreber's description. It is the felit Puma 

 of Traill 



The reader will find in the ' Proceedings of the Zoological Society 

 of London* a detailed account of the dissection of a Puma that died 

 at the Society's Garden. In one point the Pnma differs considerably 

 from other oats. This point is that part of the structure which in 

 connected with the organs of voice, and, as Mr. Martin observes, some 

 according modification must necessarily produce the deep-toned roar 

 of the Lkm, the snarl of the Jaguar, and the hissing cry of the Puma. 

 " The distance between the tongue and the larynx in the Lion," says 

 Mr. Martin, " has been brought more than once under the notice of 

 the society; in the Jaguar this distance, comparatively speaking, is 

 nearly as great ; but in the Puma, an animal equal, or nearly so, in 

 *Ue to the Jaguar, the distance is reduced to an inconsiderable space, 

 an inch or an inch and a half, according as the tongue is more or leaf 

 protruded. In addition to this it is worthy of observation that the 

 circumference of the larynx in the Puma is also very inconsiderable ; 

 compare, for example, the larynx of the Jsgusr with that of the 

 present animal, both natives of the wilds of the American continent 

 In the Jaguar we find a larynx indicating, from its general magnitude, 

 considerable depth in the intonations of the voice ; whereas in the 

 ' , tf w take either its diameter or iU distance from the termi- 



nation of the palate and base of the tongue, we are led to cxj>cct 

 M. itlier the roar of the Lion nor the growl of the Jaguar, but the 

 shrill tones of an animal, ferocious indeed, but of all others of the 

 genus perhaps the most stealthy and insidious." 



The adult male has no mane. Silvery fawn above, sometimes 

 reddish, the tawny hairs of the upper parts whitish at the tips ; 

 nearly white beneath, and on the iuxide of the limbs, whitish on the 

 throat, chin, and upper lip. Head black and gray irregularly mixed ; 

 ears on the outside, and particularly at their base, sides of tin i 

 whence the whiskers spring, and end of the tail (which has no tuft), 

 black. Length from nose to tail about 4 feet ; tail rather more than 

 2 feet. Female coloured like the male. Head small when compared 

 with his. 



Young. Back marked with three chains of spots, which are generally 

 of a blackish-brown; dispersed spots or markings on the neck, 

 shoulders, and sides. As the animal advances in age these markings 

 become more and more obscure, till they are at last lost in the 

 uniform colour. 



A specimen of a young Puma, exhibited at a meeting of the Zoolo- 

 gical Society in 1831, was, like the young of the other species of /Wu, 

 variously spotted and striped, the depth of its markings approaching 

 u< at ly to black, and being more intense than that observed in the 

 Lion. The muzzle was nearly black, as was also the greater port of 

 the tail. This young one had been recently brought forth at the 

 Society's Garden, but died immediately ; it was strongly contrasted 

 with a specimen of the adult placed on the table for comparison. 



This animal is found in North and South America. There is reason 

 to think that it was formerly to be found from Canada to Patagonia, 

 with an extensive range to the east and west, but its geogmpl.i . I 

 area has been very much diminished, and is daily becoming more and 

 more contracted before that civilisation which is in our own times 

 obliterating more species than one. Mr. Washington Irving (' Astoria') 

 mentions it as being about the mouth of the Columbia River. 



Lawson (Carolina) gives the following characteristic account of the 

 Puma. "The Panther is of the cat's kind; about the height of a 

 very large grayhound, of a reddish colour, the same as a Lion. He 

 climbs trees with the greatest agility imaginable, is very strong- 

 limbed, catching a piece of meat from any creature he strikes at. His 

 tail is exceeding long, his eyes look very fierce and lively, ore large, 

 and of a grayish colour ; his prey is swine's fle*h, deer, or anything 

 he can take ; no creature is so nice and clean as this in his food. 

 When he has got his prey he fills his belly with the slaughter, and 

 carefully lays up the remainder, covering it very neatly with leaves, 

 which if anything touches he never eats any more of it. It purrs as cats 

 do ; if taken young, is never to be reclaimed from his wild nature. 

 He hollows like a man in the woods when killed, which is by making 

 him take a tree, as the least cur will presently do ; then the huntsmen 

 shoot him ; if they do not kill him outright he is a dangerous enemy 

 when wounded, especially to the dogs that approach him. This 

 beast is the greatest enemy to the planter of any vermin in Carolina. 

 His flesh looks as well as any shamble's meat whatsoever; a great 

 many people eat him as choice food, but I never tasted of a panther, 

 so cannot commend the meat by my own experience. His skin is a 

 warm covering for the Indians in winter, though not esteemed among 

 the choice furs. This skin dressed makes fine women's shoes or men's 

 gloves." 



We may here observe, without throwing doubt on other parts of 

 Lawson's description, which is, generally speaking, confirmed by 

 others, that, like many other writers, he has been too hasty in 

 speaking of the irreclaimable nature of his animal. We can testify 

 to the amiable qualities of the late Mr. Kilmuud Kean's 'Tom.' 

 The Puma so called which belonged to this extraordinary actor was 

 perfectly tame, and followed him about like a dog. Nor is this the 

 only instance of the docility of this species. Mr. Bennett observes 

 that in captivity the Puma readily becomes tame, and that his 

 manners closely resemble those of the domestic cat; "like it," 

 continues Mr. Bennett, " he is extremely fond of being noticed, raises 

 his back and stretches his limbs beneath the hand that caresses him, 

 and expresses his pleasure by the same quiet and complacent purring. 

 They soon become attached to those with whom they are familiar ; 

 and numerous instances might be mentioned in which they have 

 been suffered to roam almost at large about the house without any 

 injurious results." (' Tower Menagerie.') 



Charlevoix ('Journal,' vol. i.) gives a rather curious account of the 

 Carcajou going a hunting with three foxes ; and of his lying in wait 

 on a tree for the elk, and leaping down upon him as he passes 

 under. 



It seems to be generally agreed that the Puma is a most destructive 

 species ; for when it meets with a herd of animals it will slay iu all 

 directions, sucking only a small portion of blood from each victim. 

 To sheep, fifty of which it is said to have been known to kill iu one 

 night, it in most destructive, and the squatter well knows the ravages 

 that it will make among his hogs. Though an expert climber, it is 

 said to haunt in South America the marshy meadow-lands bordering 

 on the rivers, rather than the forest In the Pampas it must 

 affect the comparatively open country ; for there, as we shall presently 

 ee, it is commonly taken by the lasso. In the northern districts 

 the swamps and prairie* are it* principal haunts; and its prey, 



