THE MOUNTAIN LION 197 



Mr. J. A. McGuire, editor of Outdoor Life, 

 who has made special investigations concerning 

 the killings of mountain lions, estimates that a 

 lion will kill a deer every week if he has the op- 

 portunity to do so. From personal experience 

 I have known him to kill four deer in a single 

 week. 



On one occasion, when I was hidden and 

 watching the carcass of a deer which a lion 

 had killed to see what carnivorous animal 

 might come to the feast, a mountain lion walked 

 quietly and unalertly to it and commenced to 

 eat. After a few minutes the lion suddenly 

 bristled up and spat in the direction from which 

 a grizzly bear presently appeared. With ter- 

 rible snarling and threatening, the lion held 

 on to the prize until the grizzly was within a 

 few feet. He then leaped toward the grizzly 

 with a snarl, struck at it, and dashed into the 

 woods. The grizzly, without even looking round 

 to see where the lion had gone, began eating. 



From many experiences I believe that much 

 of the killing of domestic and wild animals at- 

 tributed to bears is done by lions. The lion 

 prefers warm blood and fresh meat for each 

 meal, and will kill daily if there is opportunity. 

 I have known bears to follow mountain lions 

 evidently for the purpose of obtaining food. 

 One day I came upon the recently killed car- 



