68 NATURAL HISTORY IN ANECDOTE. 



with a gun and' accompanied by a dog. They agreed to 

 follow contrary directions round the base of a hill, and to 

 join each other immediately upon hearing the report of a 

 gun. Shortly after parting, one of the friends heard the gun 

 of his comrade and hastening to his assistance came iSrst 

 upon the body of his friend's dog, torn and lacerated; proceed- 

 ing further, his attention was attracted by the growl of a 

 wild animal, and looking up, he discovered a large puma 

 crouching over the body of his friend, upon the branch of a 

 tree. The animal glared at him, and he, knowing the rapi- 

 dity of the Puma's movements, immediately raised his gun 

 and fired, whereupon the puma rolled over on to the ground 

 with his prey. The dog flew at the infuriated beast, but one 

 blow from the puma's paw silenced him for ever. Seeing 

 that his comrade was dead the hunter left the scene in 

 search of assistance, upon securing which, he returned to 

 find the puma dead, beside the two dogs and the hunter whom 

 he had killed. 



Animals and Captain Head, in his "Journey Across the Pam- 

 ^s°- pas" says:— "The fear which all wild animals in 

 America have of man is very singularly seen in the Pampas. 

 I often rode towards the ostriches and zamas, crouching under 

 the opposite side of my horse's neck; but I always found 

 that, although they would allow my loose horse to approach 

 them, they, even when young, ran from me, though little of 

 my figure was visible; and when I saw them all enjoying 

 themselves in such full liberty, it was at first not pleasing to 

 observe that one's appearance was everywhere a signal to 

 them that they should fly from their enemy. Yet it is by 

 this fear 'that man hath dominion over the beasts of the 

 field,' and there is no animal in South America that does 

 not acknowledge this instinctive feeling. As a singular proof 

 of the above, and of the difference between the wild beasts 

 of America and of the old world, I will venture to relate a 

 circumstance which a man sincerely assured me had happened 



Digitized by Microsoft® 



