N 



CHAPTER V 



THE COUGAR 



O animal of the chase is so difficult to 

 kill by fair still-hunting as the cougar 

 that beast of many names, known in the East 

 as panther and painter, in the West as moun- 

 tain lion, in the Southwest as Mexican lion, 

 and in the southern continent as lion and 

 puma. 



Without hounds its pursuit is so uncertain 

 that from the still-hunter's standpoint it hard- 

 ly deserves to rank as game at all though, by 

 the way, it is itself a more skilful still-hunter 

 than any human rival. It prefers to move 

 abroad by night or at dusk; and in the day- 

 time usually lies hid in some cave or tangled 

 thicket where it is absolutely impossible even 

 to stumble on it by chance. It is a beast of 

 stealth and rapine, its great velvet paws 

 never make a sound, and it is always on the 

 watch whether for prey or for enemies, while 

 it rarely leaves shelter even when it thinks 



VOL. III. (145) 7 



