CARNARIA. CARNIVORA. 89 



which the Hottentots and boors distinguish as the 

 Black Lion, on account of the blacker colour of the 

 mane, and which is said to be always larger and 

 more dangerous than the other, which they call the 

 Pale Lion. Of the courage of a Lion, I have no 

 very high opinion ; but of his majestic air and move- 

 ment, as exhibited by this animal, while at liberty 

 in his native plains, I can bear testimony. Notwith- 

 standing the pain of a wound of which he soon 

 afterwards must have died, he moved slowly away 

 with a stately and measured step."* 



The Lion appears to be represented on the Ame- 

 rican continent by an animal somewhat like it in 

 colour, but much inferior in size, and destitute of 

 a mane. It is, however, a large Cat, being between 

 four and five feet in length, exclusive of the tail. 

 We refer to the Puma, or Couguar, (F. Concolor,) 

 which in books of travels is often called the Lion, 

 as the Jaguar is called the Tiger. The Puma has 

 an extensive geographical range, having been found 

 from Patagonia to Canada ; but in the northern 

 division of the continent it is now nearly extirpated 

 from the vicinity of the Atlantic border. It is 

 active, and arboreal in its habits, preying on sheep, 

 deer, &c., but will sometimes attack man with fatal 

 results. Audubon gives an interesting narrative of 

 a Couguar chase, to which we can only refer.-)- 



But the finest and most interesting species of the 

 genus, perhaps, with the exception of the Lion, is 



* Travels in Africa, vol. ii. p. 191. 

 t Orn. Biog.p. 198. 



