694 



THE FARMERS' REGISTER. 



all the marks and eharacierislics of that animal, 

 but if writers on natural history are correct in 

 considering or calling ihe animal louncl in Mexico, 

 and known there by the name ol jaguar, a pan- 

 ther, ihis should be called a cougar. He answers 

 very nearly to Harlan's descrijjiion of the Felis 

 concolor, or American lion. 



We will give H.jrlan's generic and specific de- 

 scription, and slate wherein this aniaial differs. 

 Tnelblowing is thisdesoripiionorihecai genus: — 



Superior or upper 16 

 Dental Formula, ) 

 Teeth 30. 5 



Inferior 14. 



Incisor 6, 

 Canine 2 ; 

 Molar 8, 

 Incisor 6, 

 Canine 2. 

 Molar 6. 



Inferior incisors, forming a regular series. 

 Canine very strong. Four molars above, viz. : — 

 two false or conical on each side, one carnivorous, 

 with three lobes and a small tuberculous tooth, 

 wider than long, (the last sometimes warning,) 

 below on each side, two lalse compressed, simple 

 molars, and one carnivorous bicusped. Head 

 round, lacial line short and slightly arched, zygo- 

 matic arches veniricose, jaws short, tongue cover- 

 ed with corneous papillai, their poin's directed back- 

 wards, nose terminated by a very small muzzle, 

 wiih the nostrils pierced inliiriorly and at the sides, 

 ears short, straight and iriangular, pupils contract- 

 ing sometimes in a vertical line and sometimes in 

 a circle, legs proportionably short, anterior leet 

 pentadaclyle {five toed) posterior leiradactyle (four 

 toed,) nails ot tile fore leet retraciile {drawn in) 

 in a state of repose, elavaied and lying oblnjucK' 

 between the fingers, tail more or less lung. 



Habits. — Very savage, liieding in a state of na- 

 ture on living animals only, which they seize by 

 surprise and not by chasing as dogs are accustom- 

 ed to ; leaping and climbing with great tacility, 

 but running badly, sense of smell not very acute, 

 but that of sight very perlect. 



The above is Harlan's description of the cat 

 genus. The denial formula in this is different, or 

 in other words the number of teeih in this fellow 

 is not 60 great, having only twelve molars or grind- 

 ers instead of lourteen as above described. 



The description of the species of which this 

 animal is probably a variety, is as lollows : 

 Felis Concoior (Linneus) Pouwa, of travellers. 

 /American Lion, 

 or a deep yellow color, without a mane or tuft at 

 end of the tail. 



Dimension. Total length, three feet six inches ; 

 length of tail, two leet three inches ; of the head, 

 seven inches nine lines. 



(The animal killed in Sidney is larger.) 



Description. Body long and slim ; head 

 small; legs sirong and ehori ; tail long and turn- 

 ing ; color grayish about the eyes ; hairs within 

 ihe ears white, slightly tinged wiih yellow ; ex- 

 terior of the ears blackish ; those portions of the 

 lips which support the whiskers black ; the re- 

 maining portions of the lips, with the ttiroat, 

 while ; beneath the neck, pale yellow. 



_^ote. — The cougar de Pennsylvania (as de- 

 scribed and figured in Bufibn's Natural History, 

 supplement, vol. 3, plate 2, fig. 41,) is most pro- 

 bably a variety. Collinson remarks, that it is 

 lower upon its legs and has a larger tail than this ; 

 it is described as being five feet six inches long ; 



tail two feet six inches ; height before, one foot 

 nine inches ; behind, one fool ten inches. Habit, 

 carnivorous, ferocious and cruel without necessity ; 

 attacking principally sheep, calves, colls, &c. ; 

 living isolated or in pairs in the depths of forests ; 

 leaping with agiliiy and climbing trees with 

 lacility. 



Inhabit Paraguay, Brazil, United States as far 

 north as Canada. 



So much for the description in "books.''^ Tlie 

 specimen killed in Sidney is undoubtedly a variety 

 ol the above species, varying only in some parti- 

 culars, as animals of the same species sometimes 

 do. It is undoubtedly the animal which our 

 hunters and woodsmen caW painters and panthers, 

 and what is meant when we in this region lell 

 about catamounts, and probably what the Pe- 

 nobscot Indians call Lunkersoos or Indian Devil, 

 so you see he doesn't lack lor names. 



The specimen before us may be ihus described : 



f known by the common names of 

 Pouma, 



Feils Concolor, 1 



I 



American Lion, 



Cougar, 



Painter, 



Panther, 



Catamount, 



Lunkersoos. 



Color, &c. dark or dirty yellow on his head, 

 back, sides and tail : ears blackish on the margin, 

 grayish white within, short tail tipped with black, 

 nose and inside of lips black, upper and under lips 

 grayish while — the part which supports the whis- 

 kers black — grayish white around the eyes — throat, 

 belly, inside of legs grayish while. Hair and fur 

 short and very thick or close, eyelids black. 



Teeth — Three grinders or mashers on each side 

 of under jaw. Three oneach side of upper jaw, 

 the front one on each side of this jaw small and 

 conical. Tusks four, two in lower and two in 

 upper jaw, large and stout, incisors or li-ont teeth 

 small; six in lower and six in upper jaw. Tongue 

 rough with sharp papillce bent backward. The 

 partition between the upper and lower lobe of the 

 brain (cerebrum and cerebellum) composed of 

 thin plate of bone extending down usual distance 

 toward the base. 



Dimensions. Length from tip of the nose to 

 tip of tail seven feet three inches. From tip of 

 nose to insertion of tail five feet three inches. 

 Height two feet. 



Girt or circumference of head half way be- 

 tween ears and eyes, one foot eight inches ; ditto 

 of fore leg near the body one foot : ditto of body 

 near the fore legs two leet ten inches; ditto at 

 flanks three i'eeifnar inches. Toes on fore feet 

 with a dew claw, on hind feet five. Gland or 

 protuberance above ankle in lore leg bare and 

 black. Weight 200 lbs. 



He was a male and very fat ; the fruits of good 

 living upon the rabbits and deer of the forest, 

 and occasionally a sheep or two. 



It has been conjectured that he escaped from a 

 caravan. There is no necessity for resorting to 

 that to account for his appearance. He probably 

 strayed down from the forests on the frontier, 

 where there are more of there. They are occa- 

 sionally seen by hunters and lumbermen, but are 

 seldom molested or taken. It lakes the Sidney 

 boys to " nab" such kittens. 



