86 PUMAS AXD JAGUABS 



was found that it had been in the habit of hiding till dark 

 in the pen -with some calves, which it never tried to touch, 

 as it knew it was sure of the sheep. 



In many places in Patagonia, where horses are bred, 

 farmers have been obliged to turn their attention- to 

 something else, as the colts invariably fall victims to the 

 pumas. They will he patiently in wait for them to pass, 

 and, never caring for the man, or men, who may be 

 bringing the drove back from pasture, will spring out 

 from behind a bush right on the back of the colt, place 

 one paw on its head, and the other on its bosom, and 

 bring the head back with a jerk. Then, before the driver 

 has had time to come up, the puma is deep in the bushes 

 again. 



There is nothing mean about a puma ; it is all the 

 same to this great big cat whether the beast it is hunting 

 is large or small, fierce or tame. It will trot, or rather 

 bound, after a peccary, a jaguar, or a grizzly bear, quite 

 as cheerfully as if it were stalking a colt or a sheep. Only 

 one animal has been known to get the better of a puma, and 

 that is the last you would ever expect — a donkey. It is 

 the fable of the hare and the tortoise over again. The 

 puma may jump on his back as much as it likes, the 

 donkey puts down his head, so that the puma cannot seize 

 his neck, and kicks so hard that the puma is at last shaken 

 off; or if that does not do, the donkey takes to bucking, 

 and anybody who has ridden much knows very well what 

 the end of bucking is likely to be. 



But when pumas can be kept away from all other 

 beasts, and be seen only with man, or with each other, what 

 charming and graceful creatures they show themselves ! 

 Fancy watching pumas chasing butterflies for the pure 

 fun of it ; or playing with their babies as if they were so 

 many kittens, rolling them over and stretching out their 

 tails for the little ones to catch, or having a game of hide 

 and seek behind the rocks and bushes. It seems almost 

 absurd to think that a puma could ever want to hurt any 



