WITH THE COUGAR HOUNDS n 



not seize by the head, taking hold of any part that was 

 nearest. 



The pack had many interesting peculiarities, but none 

 more so than the fact that four of them climbed trees. 

 Only one of the hounds, little Jimmie, ever tried the feat; 

 but of the fighters, not only Tony and Baldy but big 

 Turk climbed every tree that gave them any chance. 

 The pinyons and cedars were low, multi-forked, and 

 usually sent off branches from near the ground. In con- 

 sequence the dogs could, by industrious effort, work their 

 way almost to the top. The photograph of Turk and the 

 bobcat in the pinyon (facing p. 12) shows them at an alti- 

 tude of about thirty feet above the ground. Now and 

 then a dog would lose his footing and come down with a 

 whack which sounded as if he must be disabled, but after 

 a growl and a shake he would start up the tree again. 

 They could not fight well while in a tree, and were often 

 scratched or knocked to the ground by a cougar; and 

 when the quarry was shot out of its perch and seized 

 by the expectant throng below, the dogs in the tree, yelp- 

 ing with eager excitement, dived headlong down through 

 the branches, regardless of consequences. 



The horses were stout, hardy, surefooted beasts, not 

 very fast, but able to climb like goats, and to endure an 

 immense amount of work. Goff and I each used two for 

 the trip. 



The bear were all holed up for the winter, and so 

 our game was limited to cougars and bobcats. In the 

 books the bobcat is always called a lynx, which it of 

 course is; but whenever a hunter or trapper speaks of a 



