Cougar 



from that time to this there has hardly been an opportunity for 

 the slyest cougar to attack man, woman or child without 

 bringing down sudden and awful retribution on his head. 



Even now almost every farmhouse in the country has a 

 rifle or shot-gun behind the door. 



I believe that if lions and tigers had been indigenous to 

 North America, they would long ago have learned to leave 

 man unmolested. 



In Northern Europe bears, wolves and lynxes still occasion- 

 ally attack human beings, and very likely get away without 

 being shot at in many instances. There are plenty of dauntless 

 hunters and dead shots in all parts of the Old World, but they 

 are in the minority. The peasants who make up by far the 

 greater part of the inhabitants of the wilder districts are 

 generally unarmed, and in no way fitted to take personal 

 vengeance on any creature that should attack one of their 

 number. 



When it comes to a question of fighting on anything like 

 equal terms, the cougar is by no means a coward. In a fair 

 fight, a full grown male cougar could kill the largest dog with- 

 out much trouble. Even now they kill cattle and horses from 

 time to time, though every such indiscretion on their part is a 

 challenge to the enraged owner, with his Winchester, bear-trap 

 or strychnine. 



Although originally found in every wooded part of the 

 United States, they were so quickly driven off by the settlers that 

 not much is known of their habits here in the East. A few have 

 lingered along in the wilder districts of the Northeastern States 

 even down to the present day; but their every footprint has 

 been eagerly searched for and heavy steel traps set where they 

 were likely to step; while the slightest rumour of a panther in 

 the region would call out scores of zealous hunters armed with 

 shot-guns loaded with buckshot and rifles of every description, 

 and accompanied by dogs of all breeds for tracking. 



The last cougar killed here in Northeastern New Hampshire, 

 where I write, was shot in a neighbouring town something like 

 forty years ago. But there are still rumours from time to time 

 of them having been seen in the northern part of the State, 

 especially since deer have become more common. In the East- 

 ern States they appear to have made their homes in hollow 



390 



