40 THE CANADIAN NATURALIST. 



fifteen years ago^, and which they call a Catamount, but 

 which from the description they give of it, I believe to have 

 been no other than the Puma (Fells Concolor of Linnaeus). 

 A man was going into the woods with his axe, when he was 

 met by another man, who having just been alarmed by the 

 sight of the animal in question, advised him not to go on. 

 He however proceeded, and soon discovered the puma under 

 the root of a fallen tree : having cut a stout club for himself, 

 he threw his axe with his utmost force at the beast, but 

 missed his aim, and it slowly walked away. The man re- 

 turned to the settlement, and having procured guns and 

 assistance, again proceeded to the woods, and found the animal 

 near the place where he had been before seen. They fired 

 and killed him, carried him home in triumph, and stuffed the 

 skin ; this trophy was preserved many years at the house of 

 Captain Copps, in Georgeville, in whose hall, I am told, it 

 presented to a stranger entering, a very startling object. Both 

 of the Merrills have seen it many times, Amos having resided 

 within three miles of the house : they describe it as being 

 four or five feet in length, exclusive of the tail, which was 

 two and a half or three feet ; that it stood near three feet 

 high, was in all respects a cat, with a round flattened face, 

 large round paws^ &c. ; the colour was a dull red, without 

 marks or spots. Supposing the dimensions given to be ex- 

 aggerated, through defective memory, there can be no doubt 

 that the animal in question was q^^puma, as there is no other 

 of the large cats to which the description will at all apply. 

 Both of them are well acquainted with the lynx, of which 

 they gave me a very correct general description, noticing 

 particularly the black ear tufts, and the blue colour. The 

 length of the tail too, as well as the hue, is a sufficient proof 

 that it was not the Canadian Lynx. The species may pos- 

 sibly even yet be found, though rarely, in our almost inter- 

 minable forests. 



