74 
CARNIVORA. 
THE PUMA, COUGOUA, OR PAGI, LE COUGOUA, 
Felts Puma, 
Called by the Mexicans mitzU, in Peru puma, and 
in Paraguay guazuara. The name by which it is 
most generally known is that of the American lion ; 
so called from a distant similarity it bears to the 
lion of the old world. It seems the more necessary 
to advert to these synonymes, because the name 
cougoua, by which it is most commonly known in 
Europe, particularly in France, appears to have been 
borrowed from that proper to another animal*. The 
Linnean epithets, concolor and discolor, have like- 
wise no appropriate meaning ; but puma is its na- 
tive name. Its length, from the nose to the root of 
the tail, is about five feet ; and its height, from 
the bottom of the foot to the shoulder, twenty-six 
inches and a half. 
The figure is from a beautiful drawing, communi- 
cated by Major Smith, made in America from a 
living specimen. 
Molina states, that, notwithstanding its ferocity, 
the pagi never ventures to attack a man, although 
it is continually hunted and persecuted by him. It 
* See the Eira, page 85. 
