THE WILD CAT OF MUSKOKA 203 



beast off with repeated blows of the horse- 

 shoes, but his face was a good deal spoiled." 



The method of trapping the Canada lynx is often 

 with a small bough cage having a bait tied to a 

 stake at one end, and at the other an open doorway, 

 across which two slanting pieces of stick crossing 

 at the centre are stuck into the ground to form a 

 doorstep. Inside these a steel trap is set carefully 

 concealed, or when the trapper has no steel traps, 

 a cord noose is set in the doorway made fast 

 to the end of a stout spring pole. The best 

 season to trap wild cat is in the month of March, 

 when the males are running after the females. 

 The trapper perfumes his traps with the musk 

 of the musquash, or else, better still, with the 

 oil-bag of the beaver. 



The inference that the wild cat of Muskoka 

 may have been a cougar (called also puma, 

 mountain lion, panther, painter) is supported 

 by the testimony of the late Dr. Robb, Professor 

 of Natural History in the University of New 

 Brunswick. Dr. Robb has recorded an instance 

 of a large feline animal having attacked and 

 nearly killed a man near the capital of the 

 province, and he further mentions having seen 

 the skin of a puma from the vicinity of Quebec, 



