84 
THE STORY OF THE ELK. 
he can neither fly nor oppose a successful resistance to his foes, that set upon 
him in troops; and in the spring, when thin and feeble from the want of 
necessary pasturage, and deprived of his horns, that drop off during the early 
months of the year, he is but a semblance of his former self, and can make 
only a feeble defense against the most insignificant of his enemies. At such 
a time he keeps in the thickets, as much out of sight as possible, shunning the 
company of even his own species, and remaining a recluse until his horns are 
grown again. 
During spring and summer the bulls herd by themselves. The females 
run together in small numbers, accompanied by their fawns. They have 
few means of defense when thus absent from their lords, and if set upon 
by any roving animal, are obliged to place all their hope of escape in their 
speed. A most formidable enemy to them, is the puma, which, fortunately 
for them, is but seldom met with. This animal is the largest and most power¬ 
ful of the cats which live in the districts inhabited by the wapiti. This pow¬ 
erful animal is possessed of great cunning, as the following instance will 
show. A hunter, in pursuit of a puma, or panther, as-it is often called in 
America, for a greater portion of a day, after proceeding some time, observed 
that he came again and again upon a man’s track, mingled with that of the 
puma; and he soon became conscious that the crafty animaffhad made a cir¬ 
cuit, and had got behind, having thus become the pursuer in place of remain¬ 
ing the pursued. Instead of going any farther he quickly stepped behind a 
tree, and with his gun presented and ready, awaited the approach of his dis¬ 
agreeable attendant. Soon he saw the puma coming carefully along, sniffing 
his tracks at intervals, and endeavoring to catch a glimpse of him in front. 
Waiting a favorable moment, he fired from his concealment, and fortunately 
killed the animal on the spot. It proved to be a male of the largest size. 
The panther frequently conceals itself in a Jtree, directly over the path 
of the wapiti. Slowly they come, those timid, graceful creatures, ever and 
anon stopping to sniff the air, or to catch with ample ears the sound of an 
enemy’s foot. But there is nothing that they can hear or scent, and uncon¬ 
scious of their great peril they pass beneath the limb. Only an instant is 
needed to gather himself together, and with his natural fierceness increased 
many-fold by long-continued fasting, the panther descends upon the broad 
back of his victim. Paralyzed for an instant by the suddenness of the shock, 
the poor deer staggers beneath the weight of the terrible beast; then fear 
and the consciousness of imminent danger give it renewed strength, and it 
bounds through the forest in the wake of its terrified companions, with the 
