FELINES OF THE NEW WORLD. 



179 



taneous with the report, with outstretched paws 

 and a deep growl, the puma sprang forward, and 

 then fell heavily to the ground, whilst our horses, 

 becoming wholly unmanageable, reared up and 

 fairly bolted. When we again got control of them, 

 nothing would induce them to return to the .spot 



where the now lifeless body of the puma lay, and 

 we had to dismount and walk there. Very fierce 

 and dangerous it looked; and at the sight of its 

 ponderous paws with their sharp talons and its 

 cruel white teeth, we wondered whether, if it knew 

 its own powers, the puma would be such a cowardly 



Fig. 83. — The Pampas Cat (Felts pajeros). page 180. 



animal as it is. They scarcely ever attack man, 

 even when brought to bay, but lie down and 

 doggedly meet their fate, though they can kill 

 a full-grown guanaco with one blow of the paw, 

 and pull down a horse with similar ease." — Across 

 Patagonia. 



The Ocelot {^Felis pardalis), fig. 82, corres- 

 ponds somew^hat in size and behaviour to the 

 Clouded Tiger of the Old World. It attains 

 a length of about 3 feet or more, while the 

 tail measures about 18 inches. The ground 

 colour of his fine soft fur is reddish yellow on 

 the back, and yellowLsh white beneath. The 

 head and neck show dark longitudinal stripes, 

 the tail black transverse stripes. The paws 

 are spotted, and on the sides a few large 

 ring-shaped brown spots are visible, and 

 these inclose a lighter-coloured centre marked 



with a few black spots of minute size, but 

 sometimes they run together so as to form 

 longitudinal stripes. The ocelot inhabits 

 almost the same regions as the puma, but 

 prefers to frequent the great forests, whence 

 it makes excursions into the neighbouring 

 farmyards and villages. Its food appears to 

 consist mainly of birds and rodents. 



What may, perhaps, be said to distinguish 

 it from the other felines is the fact that the 

 male is nearly always accompanied by the 

 female. Its life is in other respects the same 

 as that of the puma. It fears dogs and 

 men, does not attack large animals, and like 

 the puma leads a wandering life. It is said 

 to be less bloodthirsty than- the puma, and it 

 is hunted rather for its fine fur than on 

 account of the damage it does. 



