PANTHERS, AND OUR OTHER CATS. 417 



grouse, hares, squirrels, and other small creatures, which 

 constitute its habitual prey. It has even been represented 

 as having killed a deer though I conjecture it must have 

 been a wounded one. It is true there is less known of its 

 habits than of those of the southern species; but on the 

 whole, I am disposed to regard it as a less enterprising, and 

 therefore less interesting species. 



Indeed, it is by no means through the character of this 

 gray northern animal, that the wide-spread notoriety of the 

 wild cat, in connection with border life, has obtained in this 

 country. It is to the more fierce, predatory, and pugnacious 

 temperament of its tawny and mottled brother of the south, 

 that the family reputation is mainly owing. The panther, 

 (or cougar,) with even its greater size and more formidable 

 attributes, is not more entirely identified with our wildest 

 legends, scenes, and adventures, than is this bay lynx. 



I give, in conclusion, a characteristic paper, in which a 

 Cougar hunt is described by Mr. Audubon. This, as afford- 

 ing an additional glimpse of the adventurous out-door life of 

 the great Naturalist, possesses a greater interest than any 

 relation of personal adventure I could give, although such 

 are abundant enough. He says : 



There is an extensive Swamp in the section of the State 

 of Mississippi which lies partly in the Choctaw territory. It 

 commences at the borders of the Mississippi, at no great 

 distance from a Chickasaw village, situated near the mouth 

 of a creek known by the name of Vanconnah, and partly 

 inundated by the swellings of several large bayous, the 

 principal of which, crossing the swamp in its whole extent, 

 discharges its waters not far from the mouth of the Yazoo 

 River. This famous bayou is called False River. The 

 swamp of which I am speaking follows the windings of the 

 Yazoo, until the latter branches off to the north-east, and at 

 this point forms the stream named Cold Water River, below 

 which the Yazoo receives the draining of another bayou 



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