THE LARGER MAMMALS OF PATAGONIA 253 



lies on the ground, and their tracks can be followed to their hiding- 

 places ; otherwise they are so marvellously expert in concealing 

 themselves that it ii often impossible to find their lair. 



Authentic instances of pumas having attacked man are few ; 

 but some have certainly occurred. 



No. 3. Pearson's Puma {Felis concolor pearsoni). 

 On my return from Patagonia I brought with me a puma-skin, 

 which seemed to me to differ in some essential respects from any 

 known species. Mr. J. G. Millais, on examining the skin, agreed 

 with me, and pointed out that it possessed several characteristics 

 which do not occur in Felis concolor puma. I took the skin to the 

 Natural History Museum, where Mr. Oldfield Thomas came to the 

 conclusion that the animal was a sub-species of Fx. puma, and 

 named it Felis concolor pearsoni. 



The chief points of difference between the two species are as 

 follows : The very different general colour, F.c. pearsoni being 

 reddish-fawn instead of silver-grey. The proportionately very 

 short tail ; light instead of dark colour on the backs of the ears, 

 which are, moreover, sharply pointed in the case of the new sub- 

 species, and there is an absence of the dark markings round the 

 digital pads which distinguishes Felis concolor puma. 



Several Gauchos, settlers and Indians informed me that there 

 were two kinds of pumas in Patagonia, one being very common, 

 silver-grey in colour and cowardly ; the other they described as 

 rare, much fiercer, of a reddish colour, and somewhat smaller than 

 the common grey species. Amongst the seventy-three pumas 

 killed by the English pioneers near Lake Argentino, one, Mr. 

 Cattle told me, differed very much from the ordinary puma, and 

 judging from the description he gave of it, I have no hesitation in 

 concluding that it was a specimen of Felis concolor pearsoni. 

 No. 4. Guanaco {Lama huanachus). 



{Guanaco of settlers, Argentines and Chilians ; Rou of the 

 Tehuelches.) 



During the whole course of our travels in Patagonia (save 

 when in the forests) a day rarely passed without our seeing 

 guanacos. They may be met within a few hours' ride of any 

 settlement. The range of the guanaco extends all over the 



