io CAMERA SHOTS AT BIG GAME 



would be practically certain to escape observation from a 

 deer. 



In Mr. Wallihan's cougar hunting he had the good for- 

 tune to be associated with Mr. William Wells, a first-class hunter 

 with an excellent pack of hounds. Mr. Wells is not only a 

 good hunter, but a good observer. He has written two or 

 three pieces about cougars and cougar hunting which are filled 

 with refreshing common sense, in striking contrast to the aver- 

 age tales on the subject. More nonsense has been talked and 

 written about the cougar than about any other American 

 beast. Even experienced hunters often gravely talk of cougars 

 ten and eleven feet long. As Mr. Wells has pointed out, these 

 figures are never even approximated. The animal is variable 

 in size, and very rarely a monster old male will reach the 

 length of eight feet ; but by no system of fair measurement 

 will any cougar ever be found to go more than a very few 

 inches over this limit, and even an eight-foot cougar is a giant 

 of its kind. Hardly one in a hundred reaches such a length. 

 The cougar is very destructive to deer and colts as well as 

 calves, sheep, young elk, etc. When pressed by hunger, big 

 cougars will kill full-grown elk, horses and cattle ; but they are 

 cowardly beasts, and not only is it a wholly exceptional cir- 

 cumstance for them to attack any human being unprovoked, 

 but they do not even make an effective fight against man when 

 cornered. They rarely charge, and, as far as I know, never 

 from any distance. A small number of really good fighting 

 dogs can kill a cougar, and it readily trees even before dogs 



