302 THE CAT FAMILY 



continents to find cat hunting at its best, and many do 

 go to Africa and to India. The trophies procured are, 

 of course, the handsome pelts with the heads mounted 

 on them ; and a pelt of the African lion, the beautifully 

 striped tiger from Asia, the spotted leopard or the jag- 

 uar makes a very handsome rug, and when its owner 

 has taken it with his own rifle he has something to be 

 proud of. When he looks upon it on his floor it no 

 doubt brings back many pleasant memories of pictu- 

 resque places where the excitement was great indeed. 



Our own cougar and lynx suffer by comparison in 

 every way. They are not so handsome or difficult 

 to obtain. Their pursuit is attended with no great 

 danger. 



The jaguar, a common variety of the cat family, is a 

 South American beast, but its range, as already sug- 

 gested, extends northward through Mexico into some 

 of our Southern States. It is by far the largest, most 

 formidable and ferocious American cat, and has been 

 called the tiger of the new world. It is marked some- 

 thing like a leopard, but, as we have observed, it is sel- 

 dom taken in the United States. 



We proceed to describe the cougar and the wild-cat, 

 their habits and the methods of taking them, giving 

 them the small space they deserve. 



