392 THE PUMA. 



serve tliem, to all intents and purposes, as a fifth hand. 

 They can hang by them, or insert them into a hole and pick 

 out a bird's egg, or a minute insect, with the gTeatest ease. 

 They are generally, with the exception of the howlers, ami- 

 cably disposed, easily tamed, with beautiful coats of fur, and, if 

 not exactly elegant in their forms, very agile, and generally 

 attractive, interesting little creatures. 



The serpents and insects are far more dreaded and annoy- 

 ing than the wild beasts. Many of the former are fearfully 

 venomous. The boa occasionally finds a human being in the 

 forest, sick or wounded, and unable to fly, and winds its huge 

 coils round his body. The anaconda is equally dangerous to 

 those sleeping near the river's edge ; while the cunning and 

 savage alligator lies in wait for the unwary bather or drawer 

 of water who ventures into the stream ; and termites and ants 

 devour the stores of the inhabitants, and, in certain localities, 

 well-nigh sting them to madness. 



THE PUMA. 



The gaucho of the Pampas, the llanero of the savannahs in 

 the north, the herdsman on the slopes of the Cordilleras facing 

 the Pacific, and the settlers on the eastern shore, dread the 

 wide-ranging puma — or the American lion, as the creature, on 

 account of its tawny hide, is wrongly called. Supplied with 

 powerful limbs, capable of climbing tall trees and swimming 

 rivers, neither mountains, forests, open plains, nor streams stop 

 its progress. Like ths cat, to which genus it belongs, it 

 stealthily approaches its prey, and, seizing it with a sudden 

 spring, rends it to piece?. When coming upon a flock of sheep 

 or vicunas, it deals havoc and destruction on every side, often 

 striking down in mere wantonness a far greater number tb^n 



