The Ounce. 
25 
them under that name. The puma is especially to be 
met with in the more tropical regions of America, though 
its range extends over the whole continent. 
The Ounce, a native of some parts of Asia, according 
to modern authorities, is mentioned as an 0unce 
inhabitant of Brazil by a Portuguese who 
had long lived there. With that confusion of pronouns 
which characterizes writers of the Elizabethan period, he 
says:—• 
“ There are many ounces, some blacke, some grey, some speckled. 
It is a very cruell beast, and fierce. They assault men exceedingly, 
that even on the trees they cannot escape them, especially if they be 
bigge. When they are flesht there is none that dare abide them, 
especially by night. They kill many beasts at once, they spoile a 
whole hen-house, or a heard of swine; and to open a man, or whatsoever 
beast, it sufficeth to hit him with one of his clawes. . . . The Indians 
use the heads for trumpets, and the Portugall women use the skinnes 
for rugs or coverlets.” ( Purchas , vol. i. p. 1301.) 
The early explorers seem to have been somewhat puzzled 
by the different varieties of the leopard tribe, and this 
much-dreaded animal may have been the jaguar or puma. 
Du Bartas, in his poem on the Creation, alludes to— 
“ The cat-fac’d ounce, that doth me much dismay, 
/With, grumbling horror threatens my decay.” 
(. Divine Weekes and Workes, 6th day, p. 50.) 
Shakspeare has but one reference to this animal:— 
“ Be it ounce, or cat, or bear, 
Pard, or boar with bristled hair.” 
(. Midsummer Night’s Bream , ii. 2, 30.) 
Topsell says that he can follow no better author in 
the description of this animal than Dr. Caius, who 
evidently wrote from personal observation:— 
“ The ounce is a most cruel beast, of the quantity of a village or 
mastiffe dog, having his face and ears like to a lyons, his body, taile, 
