The Puma, or Lion of America. 35 



sheep. Frequently after his nocturnal visits we 

 found, by tracing his footprints in the loose sand, 

 that he had actually used the calves' pen as a 

 place of concealment while waiting to make his 

 attack on the sheep. 



The puma often kills full-grown cows and horses, 

 but exhibits a still greater daring when attacking 

 the jaguar, the largest of American carnivores, 

 although, compared with its swift, agile enemy, as 

 heavy as a rhinoceros. Azara states that it is 

 generally believed in La Plata and Paraguay that 

 the puma attacks and conquers the jaguar ; but he 

 did not credit what he heard, which was not strange, 

 since he had already set the puma down as a 

 cowardly animal, because it does not attempt to 

 harm man or child. Nevertheless, it is well known 

 that where the two species inhabit the same dis- 

 trict they are at enmity, the puma being the per- 

 sistent persecutor of the jaguar, following and 

 harassing it as a tyrant-bird harasses an eagle or 

 hawk, moving about it with such rapidity as to 

 confuse it, and, when an opportunity occurs, 

 springing upon its back and inflicting terrible 

 wounds with teeth and claws. Jaguars with scarred 

 backs are frequently killed, and others, not long 

 escaped from their tormentors, have been found 

 so greatly lacerated that they were easily overcome 

 by the hunters. 



In Kingsley's American Standard Natural His- 

 tory, it is stated that the puma in North Cali- 

 fornia has a feud with the grizzly bear similar to 

 that of the southern animal with the jaguar. In 

 its encounter with the grizzly it is said to be always 

 D 2 



