94 



RECREATION. 



escape by flight, and, failing in this, takes 

 to a tree. When driven to bay he is a 

 savage and dangerous foe. 



The female makes a kind and affection- 

 ate mother, for she will provide for her 

 clamorous whelps at all hazards. She is 

 very dangerous when any foe — man or 

 beast— attacks or disturbs her young, and 

 will fight desperately in defense of them. 



Few animals of its size have greater 

 strength, agility or power of endurance 

 than the mountain lion. It has been known 

 to carry or drag the carcass of an animal 

 weighing more than a hundred pounds, for 

 miles over a rough country — through tim- 

 ber, over rocks and logs and up the sides 

 of steep mountains. 



The young are pretty creatures, as 

 sprightly and playful as kittens. When 

 first born, there are dim stripes, or bars, 

 on their bodies, suggestive of the tiger; 

 but these disappear by the time the whelps 

 get their eyes open, which is usually on 

 the ninth day after birth. Up to a certain 

 age, the whelps make harmless and inter- 

 esting pets. They are full of innocent 

 sport, and form a certain sort of attach- 

 ment for their master. But when the 

 young cougar reaches a certain age, and 

 becomes strong and active, its feline nature 

 is developed; it becomes treacherous and 

 dangerous — especially to strangers — and 

 can no longer be safely trusted. On slight 

 provocation, the animal would viciously 

 attack friend or enemy. No more than the 

 tiger, wildcat, jaguar, or leopard, can the 

 California .ion, or cougar of the Pacific 

 Coast, be domesticated. It is only safe in 

 captivity, when behind strong iron bars. 



The eyes of the cougar are like those of 



a cat in color, shape and power of dilation. 

 In the dark they shine with a deep vitre- 

 ous glow. When angry, or wounded, it 

 utters a loud, sharp cry, closely resembling 

 the scream of a terror-stricken woman. 

 It also makes a loud, but soft purring 

 noise, similar to that of the cat, when not 

 disposed to be belligerent. The cougar 

 when on the watch, and when about to 

 make a spring on its prey, has precisely 

 the same habit of switching its long, sup- 

 ple tail as has the common cat just before 

 pouncing down on a bird or a mouse. In 

 point of activity, the cougar is not inferior 

 to any living animal. Its springing powers 

 are astonishing, being scarcely less than 

 those of the lion or the tiger. It is very 

 hardy, and can withstand the rigors of a 

 long and severe winter without seeming 

 to lose flesh, strength or activity. 



In a few years a combined effort will 

 doubtless be necessary to effect the exter- 

 mination of these predatory animals, by 

 the farmers and stockmen who live near 

 the several mountain ranges of Oregon 

 and Washington; for their ravages will 

 have to be stopped. For several years 

 laws have been in existence for the paying 

 of liberal bounties for cougar scalps. This 

 has developed many hunters who follow 

 the cougar as a source of profit. Owing 

 to the sly, wary and suspicious nature of 

 the cougar, however, it is a difficult matter 

 to trap them. A good many are destroyed 

 every year by putting poison on carcasses, 

 and leaving them in exposed places where 

 they are certain to attract the attention of 

 the cougars; yet against the combined ef- 

 forts of hunters and ranchmen this great 

 cat is said to be steadily increasing. 



AMATEUR PHOTO BY W. S. COPELAND. 



OUR PETS. 

 Winner of Sixth Prize in Recreation's Third Annual Photo Competition. 



