THE MOUNTAIN LION, OCELOTS, LYNXES AND THEIR KIN 



631 



hogs, calves and foals, often seizing them in open day- 

 light under the eyes of their owners. 



"When wounded, it fights fiercely, and, if pursued by 

 dogs, moves away in a series of powerful leaps, until it 

 finds shelter in a large tree, where it extends itself on 

 a convenient bough and awaits the arrival of its foes. It 

 may or may not leap upon them from its retreat, but, 

 if it does, some of them will never leave the base of 

 that tree alive. It fights much as a domestic cat does, 

 but far more furiously, and spits and snarls, tears ana 

 bites, jumps actively, and humps its back until it looks 

 more like a maniac than an animal with an atom of sense 

 in its head. Being exceedingly lithe and muscular, it 

 can destroy a small pack of hounds in a few minutes, 

 and escape with only a few scratches. 



"It is quite an easy matter to follow a fleeing puma. 



and by the same method a draw act, and its long, point- 

 ed teeth can pierce the neck of a deer or a man at the 

 first grip of its powerful jaws. 



"Some persons consider this animal cowardly because 

 it will not attack man every time it sees him. This is a 

 very poor reason by which to judge it, for not even a lion, 

 grizzly bear or rhinoceros will assail the lord of creation 

 without cause. If these critics were to meet the cougar, 

 when it is sufifering from hunger, wounds or even petu- 

 lance, they would soon change their opinion, and credit 

 it with the courage to which it is entitled. It is true 

 that the burly brute will often follow a man for miles, 

 waiting for a favorable opportunity to attack him, and 

 turn back every time he faces it ; but this is character- 

 istic of nearly all the cats, whose only means of securing 

 their prey is to pounce upon it suddenly from selected 



A MAGNIFICENT LEOPARD 



Tills is an unusually fine specimen of the cat family from .Africa, shot by Col. Theodore Roosevelt. It has been stuffed and 

 mounted bv W. L. Brown of the United States National Museum. vvHere it is now on exhibition. 



as it always travels in straight lines, and .seeks refuge 

 in the most umbrageous forest giants. Its tracks are 

 also easily detected, being round and readily apparent in 

 the moss that often grows at the foot of trees. Good 

 dogs follow its line with much spirit, and on approach- 

 ing its retreat become wild with excitement. 



"Should it bound among them they attack it fiercely, 

 generally on the sides or rear, as they seem to know in- 

 stinctively that its fore claws are its most dangerous 

 weapons. Experienced animals may have several fights 

 with a puma before being touched ; but those more coura- 

 geous than cautious are liable to be killed at the first 

 onslaught. Its nails cut like a keen Mameluke sword, 



positions. Whenever it does assault, however, there is 

 no retreating then ; it is victory or death. I have known 

 the animal to injure men for life, and I have seen it 

 turned from its demonstrations for an attack by steadily 

 staring it in the eyes. Few wild animals can face the 

 steady gaze of a fearless man, especially if they are not 

 rendered furious by hunger; yet I have seen buffaloes 

 that could, and did, do it, and ignominously routed the 

 individual who tried to subdue thein by such a method. 

 They would not be stared out of countenance by anybody. 

 "I am acquainted with a native who caught four 

 pumas with his lasso while they were going at full speed ; 

 and I once met a Digger Indian in Northern California 



