52 THE TOWER MENAGERIE. 
is by no means great and his timidity excessive, he rarely 
escapes. 
In captivity the Puma readily becomes tame, and 
may even be rendered docile and obedient. His man- 
ners Closely resemble those of the domestic cat; like it 
he is extremely fond of being noticed, raises his back 
and stretches his limbs beneath the hand that caresses 
him, and expresses his pleasure by the same quiet and 
complacent purring. They soon become attached to 
those with whom they are familiar; and numerous 
instances might be mentioned in which they have been 
suffered to roam almost at large about the house without 
any injurious results. One of these is no doubt familiar 
to many of our readers, occurring as it did under the 
roof of Mr. Kean, the tragedian, who possessed an 
animal of this species so tame as to follow him about 
almost like a dog, and to be frequently introduced into 
his drawing-room, when filled with company, at perfect 
liberty. 
The Puma figured above is a female, about three years 
old, exceedingly sleek in her fur and lively in her colours, 
and equally mild and good-tempered with any of her 
race. 
