244 THROUGH THE HEART OF PATAGONIA 



Puma cubs In captivity become very tame. One settler 

 whom I met had two cubs about a year old. They were attached 

 to their new home, and though they would follow a horse for 

 two hundred yards or so, they invariably returned after a short 

 distance to the shanty of their owner. Another puma cub had been 

 kept by Mr. Cattle at Lake Argentino. This cub was wont to 

 tight battles royal with the hounds, but in the cold of winter would 

 lie among them for warmth. All these cubs were those of Felis 

 concolo7'- puma. So long as they were well fed they were docile, 

 but when hungry their fierce nature reasserted itself Mr. Cattle 

 had finally to shoot the cub that belonged to him. Mr. Waring, 

 however, still had his at the time of my departure. I heard these 

 two killed a colt in the month of May 



The study of the Cordillera wolf {Canis viagcllanicus) from the 

 present point of view is exceptionally interesting. To this animal 

 man is practically unknown, and it manifested the most utter fear- 

 lessness, when brought into contact with human beings, during our 

 expedition. This wolf will advance within five or six yards 

 of a man in open daylight ; it will walk over him when asleep 

 in camp. They haunted our camps about Lake Buenos Aires, 

 lurking about all the night through and eating everything that 

 came within their reach ; then, instead of departing when day- 

 light came, they usually remained crouching near by, and put in 

 an appearance during breakfast-time with an absolute disregard 

 or ignorance of probable danger from the neighbourhood of man. 

 On the River Fenix one of these wolves came into Rosy- 

 Camp during the night, stole a duck and a goose, and further 

 gnawed my rifle-slings within a few feet of where I was sleeping. 

 We only discovered our loss at dawn, and while we were still 

 discussing it, I perceived the animal itself lying under a bush 

 close at hand calmly watching us. Deprived of breakfast. I 

 had no thought of mercy, and shot her with a Mauser. She was 

 an old female. That night her mate paid us a visit, and 

 frightened the horses, who seem to fear the large Cordillera wolf 

 almost as much as the puma. I was rather crippled at the time 

 with an injury to my knee, and was sitting by the fire. I happened 

 to look up and caught sight of the wolf standing within a few 



