264 Wild Beasts 



to fight desperately when brought to bay, and in two 

 instances their resistance was sufficiently formidable to 

 cause, in the one case loss of life, and in the other in- 

 juries from which men never entirely recovered. Many 

 such examples might be gathered, but they are neverthe- 

 less exceptional. A puma is not difficult to kill, and if it 

 is seen in time, a properly armed man must either be very 

 unfortunate or very unfit for the position in which he finds 

 himself, if the result is not favorable. What is said of the 

 panther and leopard, however, by Captain Forsyth (" The 

 Highlands of Central India ") and by Sir Samuel Baker 

 (" Wild Beasts and their Ways ") is peculiarly applicable 

 to this animal : it is almost always met with unexpectedly, 

 and no mortal can say beforehand what it will do. If 

 taken at advantage and by surprise, as commonly happens, 

 a single man would not usually have much chance at close 

 quarters. The writer has, however, known them to be 

 killed with knives, though not without severe injury to the 

 victor. 



The average native of tropical America, while fully 

 appreciating how much more dangerous is the beast he 

 calls a tiger, is quite enough impressed with the prowess 

 of its smaller, though sometimes equally ferocious ally, to 

 have his mind saturated with superstitiqns concerning 

 pumas. Tapuyo or M3,meluco guides ^yill ,sit by a cainp 

 fire and talk in a way to put Acuna or Ai;tieda in the back- 

 ground. Almost equally with the jaguar this creature has 

 supernatural and diabolic connections. When its rarely 

 heard cry or scream, as any one may choose to call a sound 

 so difficult to describe and which varies so greatly, floats 



