152 
THE PANTHER. 
that he had promised to give them a lecture 
on panthers. The suggestion was received 
with general applause; and, the party being 
comfortably seated, out of reach of the spray, 
Mr. Crediton began :— 
“ The animal which is to form the subject 
of my lecture, young ladies and gentlemen, 
has a very wide range over the American 
continent, being found almost -everywhere, 
from Patagonia-Where is Patagonia, 
Lizzy Barton ?” 
“ Patagonia is the southernmost country 
of South America,” replied little Lizzy, con¬ 
fidently. “It was in my lesson yesterday.” 
“Very good.—From Patagonia on the 
south, to the great lakes on the north, and 
from the Atlantic to the Pacific. It has, 
however, become very rare in the Northern 
States; and it is now about ten years since I 
have heard of any in this part of the country. 
It is known here incorrectly as the panther, 
and is sometimes called catamount and 
cougar. In South America it is called the 
puma, and sometimes the lion of America,— 
to distinguish it from the jaguar, which is 
called the American tiger. When it first be¬ 
came known to the settlers of North America, 
