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PANTHER COUGAR, OR MOUNTAIN LION {FELIS CONCOLOR). 



aggressive, unless pressed or wounded. 

 When hunger again asserts itself, the cou- 

 gar is off on some predatory raid v and 

 never relinquishes the quest until another 

 victim is found and sacrificed. 



Ranchmen and farmers living along the 

 edges of the valleys and near the foothills, 

 in Oregon and Washington, sustain heavy 

 losses every season from the ravages of 

 these ruthless marauders. Every year 

 great numbers of sheep, calves, colts, and 

 swine are destroyed. Despite the warfare 

 that is constantly waged against these 

 fierce and destructive animals, they appear 

 to be rapidly increasing. The settlers in a 

 given region frequently organize, and 

 make a general hunt, with trained dogs, 

 forming a circle or a battue covering a 

 large tract of country. A good many cou- 

 gars are thus hunted down and killed, but 

 the most of them retreat far back into the 

 mountain fastnesses where pursuit is de- 

 fied. 



The female cougar is, like the common 

 house cat, a fecund animal, and breeds 

 rapidly; so, that in spite of the numbers 

 killed every year, the mountain lion is con- 

 stantly increasing. Hence the ravages on 

 stock are proportionately greater, and the 

 robbers become more and more bold. 

 Usually these animals, when on a raid, 

 travel alone; though sometimes 2, or even 

 more, are found in company. 



A cougar, when pressed by hunger, will 



leave its mountain, or forest retreat, early 

 in the evening, and make a long dash down 

 into the valley to some ranch, where it will 

 suddenly pounce down upon some luckless 

 sheep, colt, calf or porker, kill it almost 

 instantly; suck up the blood and devour so 

 much as will satisfy its hunger. Then, hav- 

 ing glutted its appetite, the cougar will 

 start back for its mountain retreat, which 

 is generally reached before morning. 



Sometimes, after one of these long ex- 

 cursions he finds difficulty in securing 

 game, and is not able to reach his native 

 jungle before daylight. In such a case he 

 takes refuge in some neighboring wood 

 where it can sleep during the day. When 

 night again descends, the cougar goes back 

 to his safer retreat. 



In his wild, native haunts, the deer is the 

 favorite pre}' of the cougar and he rarely 

 attacks small game. When on the still 

 hunt, in settlements, he evinces a prefer- 

 ence for fat, juicy pork; but if no hapless 

 swine can be found he is satisfied with mut- 

 ton, veal or colts' flesh. He is a glutton 

 and, whenever an opportunity offers he 

 gorges himself to overflowing. 



Unless attacked, wounded and pressed, 

 the cqugar usually retreats from a human 

 being — especially a man. When crowded, 

 and driven to bay, he becomes furious and 

 will savagely attack man or beast. A dog 

 is an object of special terror to a cougar. 

 When pursued by a pack, he attempts to 



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