PANTHERS, AND OUR OTHER CATS. 407 



Indian file, when I, who was behind, suddenly observed a 

 creature, which I supposed to be a panther, in the act 

 of springing from the low limb of a bending tree on my 

 companion who was a few feet in advance of me. I shouted 

 in warning to him, when he sprang forward, and I fired. 

 The ball struck the creature "on the leap" just between 

 the eyes, and it fell at my feet. The eyes were burst from 

 the sockets, and its yells and dying struggles were terrific. 

 On firing another load into it, these struggles ceased. 



After our surprise had subsided, I examined it coolly, and 

 found it to be entirely distinct from the cougar, both in size, 

 which I am convinced was considerably greater, (I took no 

 measurement,) and color, which instead of tawny, was a light 

 roan, or mingled red and dull white. Then the head was of 

 greater size in proportion to the body, and the rudiments of 

 a mane and tufted tail were sufficiently distinctive. I regret 

 that I was not more careful at the time, for my measurement 

 might have substantiated a new species. 



A hunter attached to Sir "William Drummond Stewart's 

 Expeditions, was assailed by a Puma leaping down upon him 

 from off the face of a bluff, as he rode beneath. He was 

 walking his horse slowly, when his attention was aroused by 

 the rolling down of a pebble or some fragment of rock. 

 Looking up quickly, the terrible brute was crouching above 

 him, with ears laid back close upon its head, and he saw 

 the wavy stir of the tail in the grass, and brambles above. 

 To whip out his holster was the act of an instant, and he 

 fired into its face, as the yellow glare of those eyes was 

 almost against his own in the descent of its leap. He was 

 considerably torn by its claws in the death-struggle, but 

 the heavy ball of his holster had crushed its skull to pieces. 



Mr. Miller afterwards made a sketch of the scene of 

 this occurrence on the spot, and it is given at the head of 

 this chapter. 



But what is more in point, we saw several skins of these 



