154 Hunting the Grisly 



not at times assail and master. It readily 

 snaps up grisly cubs or buffalo calves; and in 

 at least one instance, I have known of it 

 springing on, slaying, and eating a full-grown 

 wolf. I presume the latter was taken by 

 surprise. On the other hand, the cougar it- 

 self has to fear the big timber wolves when 

 maddened- by the winter hunger and gath- 

 ered in small parties; while a large grisly 

 would of course be an overmatch for it twice 

 over, though its superior agility puts it be- 

 yond the grisly's power to harm it, unless by 

 some unlucky chance taken in a cave. Nor 

 could a cougar overcome a bull moose, or a 

 bull elk either, if the latter's horns were 

 grown, save by taking it unawares. By choice, 

 with such big game, its victims are the cows 

 and young. The prong-horn rarely comes 

 within reach of its spring; but it is the 

 dreaded enemy of big-horn, white goat, and 

 every kind of deer, while it also preys on all 

 the smaller beasts, such as foxes, coons, rab- 

 bits, beavers, and even gophers, rats, and 

 mice. It sometimes makes a thorny meal of 

 the porcupine, and if sufficiently hungry at- 

 tacks and eats its smaller cousin the lynx. 

 It is not a brave animal; nor does it run its 

 prey down in open chase. It always makes 



