COUSINS OF CATS 235 



"The dog family likes a cool climate and the cats 

 prefer a warm one. Even though the Puma is hardy, 

 and can live in all climates, one of the Wise Men says 

 that an animal always grows the largest in the climate 

 that best suits him. 



" The Puma sharpens its claws on the bark of trees 

 'or the earth, and purrs when pleased ; both these 

 instincts are found in his tame cousin, the House Cat, 

 who provokes her owners often by scratching the carpet. 

 Their fur changes color somewhat according to season, 

 and the young wear mottled coats at first, like young 

 Deer." 



"I suppose he only lives in very far-away wild 

 places," said Rap. 



"Now his haunts are almost altogether confined to 

 the rocky and wooded parts of the west and southwest ; 

 but not so many years ago he ranged within a few 

 miles of the eastern coast and was plentiful in the 

 Adirondacks, in places where people now h^ve camps 

 and cottages. 



" The Puma is feared by all other beasts except a 

 Bear or a Deer with fully grown antlers, for it both at- 

 tacks the throat and gives killing blows with its lieavy 

 paws. But the Puma keeps to the wildest places and 

 where it was plentiful the Wildcat was usually rare." 



" If they lived in such lonely places, how did they 

 come to be killed out ? " asked Olive. 



" Because, wherever they were seen, they frightened 

 people so much that they were killed whenever possible. 

 Then they had but two, or at most four, little ones in 

 their rocky lair every other year, and these took two or 

 three years to become fully grown, so the race increased 



