IN THE FAR WEST. 85 



and rise in a blackish base. It has no mane, nor any tuft 

 on the extremity of the tail; its hair is soft and dense 

 over the limbs and body; and the colour is so much alike in 

 both sexes that they cannot be distinguished by the looks of 

 the pelage. 



The female brings forth her young 1 in the spring 1 , the number 

 at a birth varying- from two to four, and the period of gesta- 

 tion being- about ninety-seven days. 



The character of the cougar is like that of the cat family in 

 general, whether wild or domesticated; and this may be 

 summed up by saying that it is naturally timid and will flee 

 before man, but is exceedingly fierce and daring when pressed 

 by hunger, when wounded, or when defending its young. 

 Affection for the hitter is manifested only by the mother how- 

 ever, for the male would destroy and eat them did he have 

 the opportunity ; and even the female is not always safe from 

 his sudden and ungallant temper. 



The favourite haunts of the cougar are amid the deepest 

 recesses of the forest, where it can obtain food and the close 

 concealment so natural to its habits; and being nocturnal in 

 character, it seeks its prey principally at night, or early in the 

 morning. It is seldom seen abroad during the day, unless 

 severely pressed by hunger, and then it will go boldly any- 

 where and face man without a moment's hesitation, or make 

 a raid on a farmyard, despite the protests of furious dogs. In 

 the forests of the Northwest, however, it is seldom compelled 

 to risk its life to procure food, as it can obtain a plentiful 

 supply without much trouble, owing to the abundance of deer, 

 hares, squirrels, and other small animals, which it captures 

 readily by bounding upon them suddenly from a tree or the 

 thick undergrowth of the forests, where it always lies in 

 concealment. "Whatever it catches, let it be small or large, it 

 first cuts open the throat and drinks the blood, and if its 

 appetite is not then satisfied it devours the flesh ; and should 

 any remain over, it is carefully covered with leaves, to be kept 

 for the next meal or a "rainy day/' AMien lying in wait for 

 its prey, it seeks the shelter of a thicket or crouches on the 

 lower branches of a tree, and the moment a hare, a deer, or 



