302 THE AKEMAL KINGDOM. 



number of natives, who with long* canes beat the jungle and 

 generally start out the monster, at whom there are a few 

 deadly rifles pointed, which invariably bring him at once 

 to the ground. 



The largest of this tribe inhabiting the New World, is the 

 Puma or Cougar, which is much inferior to the Lion both in 

 size and strength, although very fierce and dangerous, it is 

 of a pale drab colour inclining to grey ; it climbs trees and 

 stretches itself along their branches, waiting for some 

 unlucky animal to pass, when it drops quietly upon its 

 shoulders and quickly destroys it. The Leopard tribe 

 includes several varieties, as the Jaguar, Panther, Ounce, 

 Ocelot, &c., they are all more or less spotted with black, 

 and possess all the ferocity and much of the strength of the 

 nobler species of their tribe, the smallest of them being 

 more than a match for a man without weapons. 



The Canine tribe of the Carnivora includes Dogs, "Wolves, 

 Jackalls, and Foxes. The Dogs are greatly altered from 

 their wild nature by being domesticated, resembling in 

 their wild state a small Wolf; the Dog in its domesticated 

 state is too well known to need any description here. The 

 Jackals and Wolves generally hunt in packs, and devour 

 all kinds of offal, flesh and bones, which their strong jaws 

 and teeth appear to crush and break up without difficulty. 



The Bears form the next tribe, these are often very 

 large animals; the Grisly Bear of the B-ocky Mountains 

 (Damis ferox) is the largest of the Brown Bears, it often 

 measures eight feet long and is extremely powerful, the 

 Brown Bear (Ursus arctos) is smaller, but still a powerful 

 animal, the Polar Bear (Thalarctos maratimus) is white and 

 is the largest of all the Bears, measuring eight or nine feet 

 long, it is coated with long shaggy hair, and even its feet 

 are clothed with hair underneath, that it may not slip on 

 the ice, and to defend it from the cold ; this Bear is found 

 in the Arctic Regions among the ice, and feeds upon Fish 

 and other marine animals. Bears in general are carnivorous, 

 but eat many other kinds of food ; they are very fond of 

 honey, and are never contented if they smell it, until they get 

 at it, for this purpose they will often gnaw a hole in a tree and 



