PUMA. 403 



the road behind them. They paid no attention to it, as large mongrel dogs of this 

 colour abound everywhere in the vicinity of the Indian camps, but played leisurely 

 along, as is the custom of children the world over. The youngest boy, a chubby 

 little chap of six summers, who was behind his brothers, suddenly came rolling 

 along in front of his brothers, and a moment later the great cat sprang over the 

 heads of the two astonished boys, seized the little fellow in its mouth, and with a 

 spring vanished from sight in the bushes. Mr. Perry proceeds to relate how the 

 eldest brother, with nothing but an empty bottle, proceeded into the wood and 

 heroically rescued the child, by beating the puma about the head until the bottle 

 was smashed to atoms, and then attempting to gouge out the creature's eyes with 

 the broken edges of the neck. The second instance occurred to a Swedish sailor 

 named Joseph Jorgenson, in British Columbia. " The man had just commenced to 

 clear a spot in the forest for the purpose of building a house, and was wielding his 

 spade vigorously when suddenly his arm was seized as in a vice. He wheeled 

 instantly, and found that his arm was in the jaws of a couguar. He was a young and 

 powerful man, ... so, without any preliminaries, he dealt his assailant such a kick 

 in the stomach as to break its hold on his arm, and to lay it prostrate at his feet. 

 The couguar instantly resented this rude treatment. Crouching it sprang at its 

 foe's throat, but he warded its head from his throat with his left arm, while with 

 his right he dealt it a blow in the ribs that again prostrated it at his side. Quick 

 as a flash it returned to the attack and seized him by the left hand, driving its 

 fangs through the flesh and fearfully lacerating it. It w r as a fight for life, and 

 Joe, with his brawny fists and heavy boots, beat and kicked the animal with such 

 force that it released its grip on his hand and retired a short distance. Then it 

 crouched and sprang at him again, landing on his breast and knocking him heavily 

 against a tree ; but again he cuffed and kicked it, until it again retreated and 

 crouched for another spring. Fortunately Joe looking down saw the spade he had 

 been using lying at his feet. Stooping quickly he grasped it just in time to ward 

 off the couguar's spring by giving it a thrust with the spade. The brute fell at 

 his feet, but instantly rose and seized him by the thigh. Maddened with pain, Joe 

 made a gladiatorial thrust at the couguar's head. The sharp blade of the spade 

 went crashing through its skull, and it fell dead at his feet." 



To these instances of unprovoked attacks it may be added that the North 

 American puma when attacked by man does not appear ever to exhibit that 

 passive non-resistance which is its most remarkable trait in South America. 

 At the time when pumas were abundant in the Adirondack Mountains, they 

 were hunted in the snow during the depth of winter, when the hunter, in his snow- 

 shoes, made side circuits until he hit off a trail. Generally such a track led to the 

 carcase of a deer recently killed and partially eaten. And here it may be remarked 

 that in regard to their prey the Adirondack pumas differ from those of Argentina, 

 in that, at least in winter, they will return again and again to a "kill," 

 until the carcase is nearly or completely devoured. This may, however, be due to 

 the circumstance that while in the hot plains of the Argentine the flesh of a slain 

 animal would soon become tainted, it would remain fresh for a long period among 

 the snows of the Adirondack s. 



When such a " kill " is found the hunter looses his dogs, who soon succeed 



