OCELOT. 
261 
the gray fox, before they take a straight course, but when hard pressed 
and fatigued, they always ascend a tree, instead of running to earth. 
Like all the cat tribe, the Ocelot is spiteful when confined in a cage, and 
snarls and spits at the spectator when he draws near ; but we have never 
seen it strike through the bars like the leopard, which sometimes inflicts 
severe wounds on the incautious or fool-hardy person, who, to see it better, 
approaches too closely its prison. 
According to our information, the Ocelot only has two young at a litter, 
but we have not had an opportunity of ascertaining this point our- 
selves. 
The specimen from which our figure was drawn, was procured by Gen. 
Harney, who sent it fresh killed to J. W. Audubon, then at San An- 
tonio on an expedition in search of the quadrupeds of Texas, for our work. 
We here give an extract from his journal. 
“ But for the kindness of Col. Harney, I might never have made the draw- 
ing of this most beautiful of all the North American feline race. Col. Harney 
sent for my trunks, and while I waited the return of the sergeant s guard, 
who went to fetch them, I saw him daily. He introduced me to Mrs. 
Bradly, where he and Capt. Myers, afterwards my friend, boarded, and 
the lady of the house made it a home to me. 
I was invited out to the camp, and as I talked of the animals I was most 
anxious to procure, all seemed desirous to aid me. Col. Harney, fond ol 
field sports, as active and industrious as he was tall and magnificent-look- 
ing, waked at day light the lone prairies and swamps with shouts of en- 
couragement to his small pack of well-chosen dogs, till they in turn burst 
forth in full cry on the hot trail of a magnificent specimen of this most in- 
teresting species. I had just returned from an examination of all my steel- 
traps ; some were sprung, yet nothing but fur was left, showing that a strong 
wolf or lynx had been caught, but had pulled away ; thus preventing 
perhaps, the capture of some smaller animal that I wanted ; and rats, mice, 
skunks, or other little quadrupeds, were eaten nightly whilst fast in the 
steel teeth, by these prowlers. 1 sat down, to think of spring- guns, and long 
for means to prevent this robbery of my traps, when a sergeant came in^ 
with the result of Col. Harney’s morning’s chase, the beautiful Ocelot, fiom 
which my drawing was made. 
This was a new animal to me, as, though I knew of its existence, I had 
never seen one, so that my delight was only equalled by my desire to paint 
a good figure of it. Its beautiful skin makes a most fixvourite bullet 
pouch, and its variegated spots are only surpassed by the rich glossy coat 
and fur of the far famed ‘ black otter.’” 
In his many long hunts. Col. Harney must have often and often past the 
