28 
THE CABINET OF NATURAL HISTORY, 
which he had left but a minute or two previous. This 
daunted the hunter, and he made the best of his way home, 
as he was convinced the Cougar was after him. Next 
morning, however, being joined by several hunters and 
dogs, he went in pursuit, and finally overtook and killed 
his antagonist, — which proved to be an old, male Cougar, 
whose teeth and claws were worn out, and which evidently 
did not possess energy sufficient to make an attack on the 
man. 
When the Cougar is aroused to madness, or in the act of 
springing on its prey, it usually crouches with its fore legs 
nearly close to the ground, and the hinder parts somewhat 
more elevated; the eyes are enlarged and wild, and the 
muscles of the face so drawn up as to bespeak great ferocity, 
while the light and shadows of the countenance are beauti- 
fully variegated; the ears, which usually stand upright, are 
now turned downward and backward, and in proportion to 
its anger, lie closer to the skin. Our Drawing is made from 
the animal while in this position, it having been excited 
purposely, by the appearance of the Lama belonging to the 
same menagerie, before its cage. 
The Cougar inhabits mountains, and the most dense for- 
ests, and makes its lair in caves, among rocks, and under 
large logs, and which is generally composed of leaves. It 
purs frequently, but the usual voice is a loud, terrifying 
scream, which at times appears like that of a female in dis- 
tress; but when angry, growls, snorts, and spits at its antago- 
nist. It usually brings forth three kittens at a time, which 
remain blind for eight or ten days, and differ in colour from 
the mother, being of a grayish-brown, and marked with 
still darker brown stripes. 
The following description is taken from a very fine speci- 
men, in the possession of the writer, which may be ac- 
counted of a medium size: — Length, from the nose to the 
tip of the tail, seven feet; body slim, legs long, and thick; 
the fore legs more thick and muscular than the hinder; 
tail long, and rather bushy; head small; eyes large, and of 
a pale yellowish-ash; neck, sides, rump, external part of 
the legs, and the under part of the tail and belly, a pale 
brownish-red, and, in a particular light, approximate a rich, 
silvery fawn colour; paws, to the first joint, of a brighter 
colour than the upper parts; a dark ferruginous, inter- 
mixed with a number of black hairs, extends from be- 
tween the eyes, over the whole forehead, along the back 
and upper part of the tail to the end, which is back; nose, 
black; throat, and inside of the ears and legs, of a dirty 
white; back of the ears black, except the edges, which are 
whitish; the upper and under lips, of pure white — on each 
side of the former is a black stripe, from which rise a num- 
ber of long, thick, and white whiskers; under and over the 
eyes are patches of a dirty yellowish colour; claws, of a 
white corn colour, exceedingly curved and long, and co- 
vered by a sheath, which is withdrawn by the animal at 
pleasure — the inner claw larger than the rest. 
THE HORSE. 
[Continued from page 6.] 
“The Horse, of all animals, is that which, with great 
stature, has the most complete proportion and elegance in 
every part of his body; and compared with every other 
animal he appears superior in these respects. The great 
length of the jaws is the principal cause of the difference 
between the heads of quadrupeds and of the human spe- 
cies: it is, also, the most ignoble mark of all; yet, though 
the jaws of the Horse are very long, he has not, like the 
ass, an air of imbecility, or of stupidity like the ox. The 
regularity of the proportions of his head, on the contrary, 
gives him an air of sprightliness, which is well supplied by 
the beauty of his chest. The Horse seems desibous of 
raising himself above his state of a quadruped, by holding 
up his head, and in this noble attitude he looks man in the 
face; his eyes are lively and large, his ears well made, and 
of a just proportion, without being short like those of the 
bull, or too long like those of the ass; his main suits well 
his head, ornaments his neck, and gives him an air of 
strength and haughtiness; his long, bushy tail, covers and 
terminates advantageously the extremities of his body, far 
different from the short tails of the stag, the elephant, &c. 
and the naked tails of the ass, the camel, the rhinoce- 
ros, &c. The tail of the Horse is formed of long, thick 
hair, which seems to come from the rump, because the 
stump from which it grows, is very short; he cannot raise 
his tail like the lion, but it suits him better hanging; down, 
as he can move it sideways; it is very useful to him to 
drive away the flies which incommode him: for though his 
skin is very hard, and is every where furnished with 
a close, thick coat, it is, notwithstanding, extremely 
sensible. 
“ The head of a well proportioned Horse should be lean 
and small, without being too long; the ears at a moderate 
distance, small, straight, immoveable, narrow, thin, and 
well placed on the top of the head: the forehead narrow, 
and a little convex; the hollows filled up, the eyelids thin, 
the eyes clear, lively, full of fire, rather large, and project- 
ing from the head, the pupil large; the nether jaw thin; 
the nose a little aquiline, the nostrils large and open, the 
partition of the nose, and the lips thin; the mouth of a mo- 
derate width; the withers raised and sloping; the shoul- 
