FAMILY FELID^. 49 



however, over large tracts of country in search of their prey, but rarely leave the forests. 

 When followed by dogs, it takes to the nearest tree, and looking down upon its assailants, 

 makes a noise like the purr of a cat, but much louder. The screams attributed to this ani- 

 mal during the night, are supposed by many hunters to proceed from some species of owl. 

 The female brings forth two at a litter. They prey upon deer, and all the smaller quadru- 

 peds, not even refusing the Canada porcupine. Occasionally they take to the water, but swim 

 deeply and badly. 



The Panther is an animal of undoubted strength and ferocity ; and under certain circum- 

 stances, such as are so graphically depicted by our celebrated novelist Cooper, may be 

 induced to take a stand before the hunter. . Notwithstanding the various stories of their fero- 

 city and courage, I have never yet met with a well authenticated account of their having 

 attacked a man. In this I am sustained by the testimony of every hunter I have conversed 

 with ; they represent them as uniformly cowardly, and retreating as quickly as possible from 

 the face of man. Prof. Emmons states, that most of the tales relating to its depredations are 

 fictitious ; and that in the part of St. Lawrence county where they are most numerous, no 

 instance is known of their having destroyed a single individual, man or child. I was told by 

 a hunter, that upon one occasion, he met with a female panther and two of her cubs. They 

 were quite helpless, and he took them up in his arms, the mother following at some distance, 

 and stopping whenever he stopped, without venturing to attack him. In this way she fol- 

 lowed him for two or three miles, when, as he approached a settlement, she finally disappeared. 

 They have been known, however, to approach the shanty of the hunter, attracted no doubt by 

 the fire or the smell of victuals ; but the smallest movement on the part of the hunter would be 

 the signal for their disappearance. I was told of one, in Warren county, that resorted to a barn, 

 from whence he was repeatedly dislodged, and finally killed. He showed no fight whatever. 

 His mouth was found to be filled with the spines of the Canada porcupine, which was proba- 

 bly the cause of his diminished wariness and ferocity, and would in all probability have finally 

 caused his death. 



The geographical range of the Cougar, Panther or Catamount, is very extensive. About 

 fifteen years ago, one was shot near Montpelier in Vermont, and a few have been occasionally 

 observed in Massachusetts. Its present northern limits do not probably extend beyond New- 

 York. To the south, its limits are not well defined. It is said to extend through the inter- 

 tropical regions to Paraguay. It is far from being well established that the northern and 

 southern species are identical. • 



Fauna. 



