KEMINISCENCES FROM THE MELBOURNE ZOO. 
91 
which is, of course, the American tiger; and which differs from the 
leopard only in the configuration of its spots. Tradition says that the 
ancient feud of puma and jaguar had its origin in the practice of jaguars 
of carrying off female pumas, and that thus arose a standing quarrel 
between the males; but this is purely fanciful. The real reason of the 
deathless hatred that undoubtedly exists between them is apparently 
found in the fact that although the adult puma is a perfectly plain light 
brown in color, the baby puma is marked by irregular spots or streaks 
and this peculiarity could easily lead the jaguars to suppose that the 
pumas had stolen their young, and naturally would give rise to terrific 
conflicts, through the jaguars attempting the rescue of their supposed 
babies, and the pumas, of course, fighting to the death to defend their 
cubs from the foe. 
There is a very old jaguar in a cage next to the pumas at the Zoo, 
and as he tirelessly tramps up and down his cage his features show 
none of the attractiveness of the leopards or pumas. He looks a surly 
brute who would resist all offers of friendliness, and he has never once 
shown anything like regard for or recognition of those who have fed 
him for years. The only story told about him is to his detriment. One 
afternoon the hero of the adventure of the “Gloves and the Tiger,” was 
walking in his usual Dickensian style up and down the enclosure between 
the fence and the cages when the jaguar noticed that as he pompously threw 
his hands out in his walk he put them within reach of his paw, so, watch- 
ing carefully for the right moment, he thrust it out, caught the arm 
just inside the elbow, and with a vicious tear he scraped the flesh down 
in ribbons to the hand. The old man suffered cruelly from the wounds ; 
and he was effectually cured of his propensity for posing before the 
public on high days and holidays. 
GATS 
THE GOLDEN CAT. 
There are quite a number of different kinds of cats at the Zoo- 
logical Gardens — nice and nasty ones — and three species may be seen 
in our illustrations. The Golden cat is one of the oldest inhabitants 
of the Zoo, having been there for fully sixteen years — longer even than 
Mollie, the orang-utang. Yet, in spite of his long residence, he has never 
