JAGUAR AND PUMA 



19 



than he rushed upon her, seized her neck between 

 his jaws, and by a square bite crushed two of 

 the neck vertebrae, and killed her instantly — as 

 quickly as if her head had been cut off with an 

 axe. 



adventures with Pumas have been written and 

 printed, but in reality this animal is less to be 

 dreaded than a savage dog. It appears to be 

 true, however, that it occasionally follows be- 

 lated hunters or travellers, out of curiosity. It 



Drawn by J. Carter Beard. 



JAGUAR. 



The Puma, also called Mountain "Lion" 

 and Cougar, 1 is the most widely-known cat ani- 

 mal of North America. It is found in all the 

 great western mountain ranges of the United 

 States, in many tracts of "bad-lands" in Wyom- 

 ing and Montana, British Columbia, and in the 

 Adirondacks and Florida. Southward it ranges 

 over table-lands and through tropical forests, 

 all the way to Patagonia. In the United States 

 it is most abundant, and also most accessible, 

 in Routt Co., Colorado, where it is easily found 

 by dogs, chased into low trees, and shot without 

 danger. In this manner Mr. John B. Goff has 

 killed nearly three hundred Pumas, "only two 

 of which fought courageously." 



Hundreds of thrilling stories of (imaginary) 



1 Fe'lis con'co-lor, and other species and races re- 

 cently described. 



is now a well-established fact that prowling 

 Pumas do sometimes scream, in a manner cal- 

 culated to inspire terror, just as caterwauling 

 cats frequently do. I have heard Pumas scream 

 precisely like terrified women or boys, but they 

 always flee from man when the way is open. 



The Puma is a thin-bodied, flat-sided animal, 

 tall for its weight, and of a brownish drab color. 

 It has a beautiful face, and is a handsome creat- 

 ure. Of all the large cats of the world, it is by 

 far the best climber. A large specimen is from 

 7 to 8 feet in total length, from nose to tail tip, 

 and weighs about 225 pounds. 



The Puma makes its den among rocks, in 

 "wash-out" holes, or in very thick brush or for- 

 ests, and preys upon every living creature that 

 can be killed and eaten, except man. In settled 

 regions they frequently destroy much young 



