48 HUNTING TRIPS 



some little distance. Once or twice his hid- 

 ing-place was discovered and then the men 

 would amuse themselves by setting the New- 

 foundland on him. She would make at him 

 with great apparent ferocity ; but when they 

 were a good way from the men he would 

 turn round and wait for her and they would 

 go romping off together, not to be seen again 

 for several hours. 



The cougar is hardly ever seen round my 

 ranch; but toward the mountains it is very 

 destructive both to horses and horned cat- 

 tle. The ranchmen know it by the name of 

 mountain lion ; and it is the same beast that 

 in the east is called panther or "painter." 

 The cougar is the same size and build as the 

 Old World leopard, and with very much the 

 same habits. One will generally lie in wait 

 for the heifers or young steers as they come 

 down to water, and singling out an animal, 

 reach it in a couple of bounds and fasten 

 its fangs in the throat or neck. I have seen 

 quite a large cow that had be'en killed by a 

 cougar; and on another occasion, while OHt 



