FELID^ 209 



that the Cougar will protect man from other animals, such as the 

 Jaguar. Cougars have frequently been tamed, and have become 

 interesting pets when not teased. 



The flesh of Cougars is said to look and taste like veal. The 

 number of young is commonly two, but sometimes three and four. 

 They have bred in captivity several times. The Cougar is known 

 by a great variety of names. Among these are Panther, Painter, 

 Red Tiger, Puma, Catamount, American Lion, California Lion, 

 Mountain Lion, etc. The Indian name Puma is perhaps the best 

 one and Cougar next. 



Felis aztecus browni Merriam. (For Herbert Brov\^n.) 



BROWN COUGAR. 



Paler and grayer than olympus; teeth and audital bullae smal- 

 ler; size probably averaging a little less . A young Cougar that 

 I saw in a cage was tawny drab gray above ; lower side of head, 

 breast and back part of belly whitish ; tail like back except dusky 

 tip; a blackish spot at base of whiskers; nose to eyes brown; a 

 short perpendicular black stripe over each eye. 



It was about 45 indhes long ; tail 1 5 ; hind foot 7 ; ear a little 

 less than 2. It was probably about four months old. 



Type locality, near Yuma, Arizona. 



Brown Pumas range over northern Lower California, south- 

 ern California, Arizona and the Colorado Valley. They are scat- 

 tered through the mountains and in the timber of the river bot- 

 tom in the Colorado Valley. 



Genus Lynx Kerr. (Sharp sight.) 

 Legs long and strong ; tail very short ; ears usually tufted ; a 

 ruff of long hairs on- the neck ; but two pairs of upper premolars ; 

 teeth otherwise similar to those of Felis; brain case broad ; tem- 

 poral crests widely separated; postorbital processes long, almost 

 meeting ; pterygoids long and very slender. 



Dental formula, I, 3—3; C, i— i ; P, 2— 2; M, i— iX2=-28. 



