202 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[SEPT. 8, 1893. 



my heartfelt thankfulness and relief carried it up the 

 bluff and disappeared in the bushes. Then I collapsed, 

 and shook for some minutes like a man with a genuine 

 case of Sdioto River bottom "ager," and when I got 

 through I was as weak as the cat in the water, and could 

 scarcely have moved had forty cats come for me. But as 

 soon as I could stand I went down the shore a ways to 

 where I could wade the stream, crossed, got the boat, re- 

 turned, realizing just then that the water was really very 

 cold, went for the cat, which proved to be the dam, now 

 resting harmlessly enough, got it, with some difficulty, 

 into the boat, secured my creel, from which most of the 

 fish had disappeared, the cover having been torn loose 

 again during my violent race, found my coat trying to 

 get loose from a snag in the edge of the current at the 

 lower edge of the drift, and lost no time in putting dis- 

 tance between me and the eventful pool, making good 

 time for some way and so warming my chilled blood, 

 then easing up, landing at a convenient spot some dis- 

 tance from the Columbia, where I wrung out my wet 

 clothes, and took the hide from the cat with my clasp 

 hunting knife, which always goes with me in my outings, 

 and which I was glad to have along on this occasion, for 

 with a pocket penknife the job would have been onerous. 

 As it was the task was quite lengthy owing to the lack 

 of facilities for hanging up, and evening drew on as I 

 tied the boat to its mooring at Klackallackum. Great 

 was the wonderment at the little store where I waited 

 for the night boat from A.8toria for Portland, when I ex- 

 plained how I got my pelt, and from some of the ques- 

 tions asked I suspected that there was a sneaking belief 

 that I had bought the skin from some hunter whom I 

 had met, or found it where some grizzly had been having 

 a violent argument with the wearer. I referred them to 

 the carcass, however, as a clincher. In due course of 

 time the whistle of the Thompson split the stillness of 

 the night, and as soon as possible I was in a berth, having 

 my wet clothes hung up by the steward to dry, so that 

 when I awoke in the morning with the boat at her dock 

 at Portland, I was in about as good plight as ever. 



If any one finds a Chubb lancewood up the Pilchuck I 

 should be very much obliged indeed to know it. It's 

 mine — or was. I should like exceedingly to have it for 

 association's sake. 



This is the first time I have given to any one a detailed 

 account of my adventure, and hesitate even now, as I 

 said in the beginning, but being put on the defensive, 

 though the story seems large, I must tell it as it is. It is 

 no larger than the pelt that stretches its beautiful 8ft. by 

 6ft. in my hall, the admiration of all who see it. As I 

 remarked, it speaks for itself. So do I for O. O. 8. 



THE ADIRONDACKS. 



The season in the Adirondacka is closing, and before 

 many months shall pass the numerous hotels where pleas- 

 ure and recreation have abounded will be buried in the 

 snow. Before that time, however, the customary raid 

 will be made upon deer by border thieves and city mil- 

 lionaires, after which the great forest will pass to the 

 keeping of trappers and guides. It will sleep the long 

 winter away, to awaken to another season of animation, 

 for each year adds largely to the throng of seekers after 

 rest, recuperation and pleasure. 



This has been a phenomenal season. The hotels of every 

 class have been overcrowded and camps have been more 

 numerous than in any previous season. Hotel rates 

 were very generally advanced and other expenses cor- 

 respondingly increased. The season is short at best, and 

 the income of both hotel proprietor and guides is well 

 earned. It is their harvest season; they must labor assid- 

 uously if they would reap sufficient of the golden grain 

 to make life endurable during the long and dreary win- 

 ter. As a general thing they do not miss their oppor- 

 tunity. 



A great need of the Adirondacks is more well kept 

 hotels. There are hundreds of choice locations which 

 were opened up by Dr. Webb's railroad, and the investor 

 can hardly go astray. The public seems determined to 

 outrun the Park Commissioners in establishing a State 

 park, and capitalists will find it advantageous to them- 

 selves to promote the present tendency. The State au- 

 thorities seem to have gone to sleep, and it may be as 

 well if they should remain in such a blissful condition, 

 for hope of their accomplishing anything for the public 

 welfare may be abandoned. This subject has been much 

 discussed during the season, and the opinion prevailed 

 universally that the State's neglect was unpardonable. A 

 number of new hotels— some of them on a' grand scale — 

 are projected, and if they could be opened early next sea- 

 son they would easily be filled. 



The fishing has been exceptionally good; probably more 

 large trout have been caught than during any season for 

 some years past. The cool weather prolonged the spring 

 fishing, so that it was not necessary to depend uipon spring 

 holes for "luck." Deer are fairly plentiful. Smce many 

 of the guides became educated up to the fact that it was 

 to their interest to preserve deer, there has been a slow 

 but steady increase. In some parts of the forest there are 

 gamekeepers who show some disposition to invoke the 

 aid of the game laws in preventing slaughter; but nowhere 

 are these officers so vigilant as to be deprived of much 

 sleep. More is being done to-day for the preservation of 

 deer by the owners of preserves and by guides than by 

 the State. Of course there are short-sighted, lawless 

 guides who have no desire to give aid to such eif orts, 

 and who seem to take special delight in their outlawry. 

 And they are but very seldom made amenable to the 

 law. When the law is enforced it is generally against 

 some "city feller" who does no wrong in a month so great 

 as some of these guides do almost every day. 



Who among those so fortunate as to have a season of 

 vacation, return home bringing more of health, vigor and 

 new life than those from the A^dirondaoks? The pure air, 

 laden with the healing qualities of vast areas of ever- 

 greens, the pearly water, the moss-covered eartJi, the 

 perfect quietude, the perfect rest, the absence of care- 

 all of these conspire with the other advantages which the 

 forest holds exclusively to give new life, energy and am- 

 bition to him who went there worn down by his respon- 

 sibilities and burdens. This is God's Garden of Eden to 

 His children, a place where healthful blessings abound, 

 where man and woman may be recreated if they wUl but 

 comply with the terms which nature makes her condi- 

 tions for restoring the wasted energies of life. D. H. B. 

 Bybacuse, Sept. 5, 



NOTES ON THE PANTHER. 



The American panther {Felis concolor), from its wide 

 distribution and abundance, is perhaps the best known of 

 thfe cats of North America. It is almost as large as the 

 jaguar, and from its color and its size has been termed 

 the American lion, or in the Spanish American countries 

 leon. Its ordinary names in the United States are: Pan- 

 ther, cougar, puma, mountain lion (Rocky Mountain 

 region), California lion (Pacific coast), painter, and some- 

 times catamount, though this' term is more usually applied 

 to the smaller animals of the genus Lynx. 



The panther is about seven feet in length, large ones 

 going something over this, and of this length the tail 

 occupies more than one-third. They weigh ISOlbs., and 

 one killed in the Adirondacks by Mr. Verplanck Colvin 

 weighed 2001bs. They are short-legged ana long-bodied, 

 and measure at the shoulders only two feet or a little 

 over. The general color is tawny or reddish, something 

 like the summer coat of a Virginia deer, but not so red. 

 There is a good deal of variation among them, some— the 

 older ones, we have thought— being grayer, while the 

 smaller and younger ones are more of a reddish cast. 

 The muzzle, backs of the ears, and slightly bushy tip of 

 the tail are black. 



No one of the Felidce has so great a range as the pan- 

 ther. It is found in Canada, and south through the 

 United States, Central and South America to the parallel 

 of 50° south latitude, and all through North America 

 from the Atlantic to the Pacific coast it is or has been 

 abundant. The encroachments of civilization, however, 

 have greatly reduced its range. Even in recent years 

 the panther has been common in the Adirondacks, and 

 Dr. Merriam, writing in 1881, states that, as nearly as he 

 can learn, about 100 panthers were killed in the Adiron- 

 dacks between 18G0 and that date. So also in Florida the 

 panther was once abundant, but is now much less com- 

 mon than in former years. In the Rocky Mountain 

 region, and on the Pacific slope, this species is still 

 abundant in many localities. It seems to be more com- 

 mon to the north than to the south, and is more often 

 heard of and seen in Montana, Idaho, Oregon and Wash- 

 ington than in Arizona and New Mexico. Even where 

 most plenty it is not often seen, for it is a solitary animal, 

 and from its quiet, stealthy habits is much more likely 

 to see the hunter than it is to be seen by him. We have 

 been told, however, by a man of unquestioned veracity, 

 that once in winter he came upon five of these great ani- 

 mals, as he thought a family, the parents and three full- 

 grown young. This is the greatest number that we have 

 ever heard of as seen together. 



The food of the panther consists mainly of large ani- 

 mals. In the West they kill a good many calves and 

 colts on the range, and sometimes make a foray on a herd 

 of sheep. We have heard of a case where a panther 

 sprung on a mule, which at once threw itself on the 

 ground and rolled its assailant off, and then springing to 

 its feet attacked it with his heels and killed it, 



In some parts of the mountains they are said to kill a 

 great many of the white goats, which live in situations 

 where they can be easily approached. No doubt, too, 

 they kill many elk, mostly calves, though now and then 

 they are known to attack and kill a full grown cow. In 

 the Eastern and Southern States deer constitute a large 

 part of the panther's food, while in Texas and the South- 

 west it preys on the peccary and in the tropics on the 

 capybara, monkeys and the larger rodents. Further 

 south the ali>aca, vicuna and other large mammals fall a 

 victim to its quiet approach. 



It captures its prey by stealth, much as a cat does a 

 robin, creeping quietly within springing distance, and 

 then making one or two swift bounds. If tlie deer is 

 alarmed and starts to run before the panther reaches it, 

 the latter rarely pursues it, but gives up the chase and 

 looks for another victim. In the Northern forests pan- 

 thers often eat porcupines and specimens are not infre- 

 quently killed with quills in their forelegs, Hps and jaws. 



The leaping power of the panther is very great. Bounds 

 of twenty feet are not uncommon. Dr. Merriam assures 

 us that E, L. Sheppard, an Adirondack guide, has meas- 

 ured a leap over snow which measured 40ft. , and another 

 of 60ft. , where the panther sprang from a ledge of rock 

 about 30ft. higher than the ground where the deer was 

 standing. 



It is said that in winter, if a panther finds a deer yard, 

 he will stay around it all winter feeding on the animals 

 which live in it. In time of deep snows also, we are told 

 that it will systematically pursue the deer, and that it 

 then has no difficulty in overtaking them, as it can go on 

 the snow much more easily than can a deer. 



When the panther kills his game he endeavors to drag 

 it away to some place of concealment where he can 

 devour it at his leisure. "When his appetite is satisfied he 

 often attempts to hide the carcass, and heaps over it 

 grass, leaves and brush, sometimes making a very neat 

 cache. He returns to the carcass from time to time until 

 most of the meat is consumed. 



In the East and South the most usual method of hunt- 

 ing the panther is by means of dogs, which are easily 

 taught to follow the track. The beast flies from the 

 hounds, and when hard pressed climbs a tree, where the 

 hunters find it and shoot it. It is said that in such situa- 

 tions it pays little attention to the hunters as they come 

 up, but watches the dogs very intently. It is then an 

 easy matter to shoot it. In the West, except, perhaps, 

 on the Pacific coast, the panther is not hunted, though if 

 come upon by accident it is of course kiUed. In the 

 South the dogs are usually followed on horseback, but in 

 the Adirondacks, where the hunting is done in winter, 

 the tracks are followed by the hunters on snowshoes. 

 The panther is a great wanderer, and sometimes it is not 

 come up with for a week or ten days after the track has 

 been taken. 



The period of gestation of the panther is given as 95 

 days, and the young are born in the late winter or early 

 spring, and number from two to four. They are blind at 

 birth and at first are spotted. 



It is greatly to be desired that more precise information 

 should be had of the present range of the panther in the 

 United States and Canada, and it is hoped that ail who 

 read this issue of Forest and Stream will take the 

 trouble to write out any notes that they may have on the 

 range and comparative abundance of the species in the 

 various localities. Such notes, which need not be long, 



but should be very clear and explicit so far as they go, 

 may be addressed to the Natural History Editor, Foresi 

 AND Stream, and should bs signed with the full nam^ 

 and address of the writer. 



The Panther's Ways. ' 



A recent article in Forest and Stream describes the 

 habits of the cougar or panther as seen in the forests o< 

 northern New York, and I venture to add something 

 further as to the peculiarities of this animal. From 183^ 

 to 1849 my home was in one of the sparsely settled val- 

 leys of that region and I had frequent reminders of this 

 beast, not only from hearsay, but from my own observa- 

 tion and that of an immediate neighbor. 



The cougar {Felis concolor) was there called panther on 

 painter and also catamount. Panther was the terror of 

 the children of that region. The legendary "black beaat" 

 of the nursery, the bear, though plentiful enough with 

 us, excited no such terror in om- minds as did a sugges- 

 tion that the painter might catch us. To scream like a 

 painter was understood as the most terrific of all screamai 

 In that comparison the pillars of Hercules were reached* 

 But the boys of that region all became hunters as soon ad 

 they could carry a gun, and soon outgrew their fearsi 

 The stories of the ferocity and monstrous leaps of out 

 panther suffered serious diminution under an actual and 

 frequent observation of the beast. 



Some of my earliest ideas about this animal came from' 

 being shown the carcass of a sheep lying in the crotch ot 

 a big birch tree and about 40ft. from the ground. There 

 was snow on the ground, and it was plain to see thai 

 same animal had brought it from a well fenced yard juS 

 across the road from our house. In the yard one lamt 

 lying a few yards away from the other "sheep had hac 

 the top of its head knocked off by a blow from an anima! 

 which had leaped a long distance to strike the lamb anc 

 had done to it no further violence. Several sheep laj 

 dead in the yard and partly eaten. Wolves and cougars 

 had agreed in hunting together; but when it came to th« 

 repast the cat-like instinct of the cougar inclined him tc 

 take his share into the tree beyond the chance of inter- 

 ference. 



Two cougars came one night into the pasture of a 

 faxmer, living a mile south of us, and killed five sheep^ 

 carrying the bodies a few rods into the -^poods, and aft^i 

 eating a part, buried the remainder very carefully witl 

 a cover of dry leaves and dirt. The farmer's boys set q 

 bear trap and caught the male cougar the first night. 

 My hunting dog had a habit, if I was not going to huntj 

 of going to this neighbor's to see if he could get hi$ 

 boys to go, and was there that morning in time to go 

 with them to their trap. The dog finding the animal in 

 the trap ran up to it, and got such a blow from its paw 

 as sent him some yards away, and the panther snatcheiJ 

 a piece of flesh from the dog's shoulder blade, leaving 

 bare a piece of the bone as large as a half dollar; and iii 

 that plight he returned to me. That evening at dusk 1 

 was in the road half a mile from our house, where I had 

 been to drive the cows to pasture, when the femak 

 mate of the captured cougar, starting apparently from 

 the side of the mountain opposite to me and a quarter ol 

 a mile away, walked slowly along toward the place 

 where her mate had been killed, and all the way, at 

 short intervals, giving such terrific screams as I "had 

 never heard before, and as most decidedly hurried my 

 pace toward the house, where I found the family stand- 

 ing in the front yard to "hear the same alarming screams 

 which had startled me. Part of her notes seemed those 

 of anger and some of intense grief. For half an hour 

 she continued her wailings and then was no more heard 

 from. 



Cougars rarely attack men, but are not easily frightened 

 when confronted. Two of my father's log choppers hadl 

 felled a pine tree at evening, and next morning api 

 preached it from the top intending to cut it into logs. Oni 

 the butt of the tree they saw a large cougar lying, apisar- 

 ently asleep. The men agreed to give it a big scare and 

 see how far it could leap. They ran along the trunk of 

 the tree and gave a joint scream; the animal simply got 

 up and faced them. They retreated, when the beast 

 quietly got off the log and waded off through the snow. 



A son of mine, traveling in Arizona, camped one night 

 under some trees. After getting his coffee he lay down 

 on his blanket by the fire. Then a cougar jumped down 

 from the tree beside him and made oflF before the man 

 could use his gun. 



On a farm adjoining my father's was a family having 

 two boys, at that time about eight and ten years of age. 

 Driving their cows to pastui-e one morning, these boys' 

 found, standing under a pine bush beside the road, a 

 female cougar with her half grown kittens. The old one 

 seemed anxious to cross the road, but when she attempted 

 to leave the bush, the boys, with stones, would drive her 

 back. Finally the youngest was left to keep her in place 

 while the elder boy went to the house to get their old 

 single-barrel shotgun. Just as the lad returned with 

 the loaded gun the beast with her family crossed the road 

 in spite of the efforts of the eight year old boy, and thei 

 gun was not fired. 



I saw a cougar in March leaping through deep snow 

 and carrying in its mouth the head of a deer. I had no 



fun and it did not seem to notice me, though in open tim- 

 er and 50yds. away. 



When 1 was fishing on the North Platte River, near itS' 

 source, the people at a ranch told me of twelve calveS' 

 recently taken by a cougar from their corral. Two of our 

 party went up the river to fish that day, the first after 

 our arrival. In the first considerable bunch of alders wej 

 came to was the calf stealer asleep. He got up on to his' 

 haunches, but showed no desire to move further. We 

 had no gun. and trout rods made but poor weapons, es- 

 ecially in the brush, so we retreated. It was too near' 

 usk to admit of going to camp for our rifles and return, 

 and we left him without further molestation. 



Cougars, like all the cat species, hate dogs and will, 

 generally tree when pursued by a noisy pack of dogs, but, 

 sometimes get rid of the annoyance of a dog or two by 

 giving them a taste of their claws, A hound of our' 

 neighbor had been sent on to a mountain near by to 

 start a deer. After running the deer a few minutes he * 

 quit and came home somewhat crestfallen. This oc- 

 curred again in the same spot, and one of the boys went 

 with the hound to learn what was the trouble. The dog ' 

 led him to a high x)erpendicular cliff, on top of which was a \ 

 female panther, which the young man shot and wounded 

 badly; and below in the loose rooks was found a nest of" 



