i 9 8 WATCHED BY WILD ANIMALS 



cass of a cow. Only mountain lion tracks led 

 to it and from it. The following night I spent 

 at a near-by ranch house, and the rancher in- 

 formed me that on the previous day he had dis- 

 covered a bear eating the carcass of this cow 

 which he accused the bear of killing. The lion is 

 a most capable raider of ranches, and colts, 

 horses, sheep, pigs, and poultry are his prizes. 



In northern New Mexico one day I saw a 

 lion bounding across an opening carrying a 

 tame sheep in its mouth. On another occasion 

 I saw a lion carrying off a deer that apparently 

 weighed much more than the lion itself. The 

 lion appeared to have the deer by the shoulder, 

 and it was resting on the lion's shoulders in such 

 a way that I do not believe it touched the ground. 



I suppose when the lion makes a kill in an 

 out-of-the-way place, where he may eat with com- 

 parative safety, he does not take the trouble to 

 carry or to drag the victim off. Often, of course, 

 the kill is made for the benefit of the young, 

 and hence must be transported to the den. 



It is quite true that he will sometimes wander 

 back to his kill day after day and feast upon it. 

 It is also true, when food is scarce, that lions 

 will eat almost anything, even though they have 

 nothing to do with the killing. They have been 

 trapped at the bait that was out for bears: and 

 so, though a lion prefers blood and warm meat, 



