fire retired, ‘ turned H and were soon fast asleep. The night waned, and by degrees a drizzlmg rain sueeeeded by a
heavy shower pattering on the leaves and on their canvas roof, which sheltered them from its fory, half awakened one
of them, when on a sudden the savage growl of a Cougar was heard, and in an instant the animal pounced upon
t e n f a n i overthrew it. Our raftsmen did not feel the foil force of the blow, as the Shght poles of the tent gave way
and the impetus of the spring carried the Panther over them; they started up and scuffled out of the tent without
further notice ‘ to quit,' and by the dim light of their H which the rain -had nearly extinguished saw the ammal
facing them and ready for another leap; they hastily seized, two of the burning sticks, B H H G f f l
heads with loud whoops, scared away the midnight prowler: After this adventure they did not, however, try to sleep
under tlieir tent any more that night.”
In Paraenay according to Azara, the Puma, being so much less ferocious than the Jaguar, has been ahnost extirpated
by the inhabitants. I t rarely attacks cows or horses, but confines itself to colts, calves, sheep, and smaller quadrupeds ;
and its disposition is so cruel that, if it has an opportunity, it will kill many more animals th an .it can possibly eat
merely for the satisfaction of sucking their blood. The female brings forth two or three young at a tim e ; and the period
of gestation is about 96 or 97 days. In captivity the Cougar has frequently exhibited a very gentle disposition ; and
one that was presented to Azara became as tame as a dog. It was chained to keep it from the poultry, but played with
every one ; and on an orange being given to it, the creature threw it about and caught it with its fore paws m the same
marner as a cat. He never saw it become irritated ; and it seemed not to distinguish between persons. When rubbed
or tickled it lay down and purred like a cat. I t used to hide the superfluous food given to it with sand as it had no
L w , and, before eating, placed the flesh in the drinldng-vessel and washed it. H had one of t e e animals,
I I appeared to be as gentle as the one possessed by Azara. I t was very fond of bathing, and frequently 3umped in
and out of a large tub, evincing great satisfaction. I t escaped once in London during the night, hut permitted itself
to he taken by a watchman without making any resistance. On its way to England it was intimate with some dogs
and monkeys that were on hoard the ship, but never offered to injure them, although the monkeys frequently insulted
it in many ways i but if a goat or fowl came within reach it was immediately killed. ■
In 1833 a Puma brought forth two young in the menagerie of the London Zoological Society. The mother was very
gentle and permitted the keeper to enter her cage and handle the cubs. They were pale tawn-colour and spotted.with
«„„Vi.!, brown, as shown in the Plate. The mother used to carry them about m her mouth from place to place , and
before litterum she broke all the straw in her den into pieces and made a nest. In the early settlements of America
the Cougar was called a lion, and the skins brought in by the hunters were supposed to be those of females; and it
was said that the males were too active and fierce to be taken. ... ,
The Puma generally makes its lair in some hole or cave in the rocks, near to the entrance withdrawn only so thr as to
receive protection from the weather. Where there are no rocks, as in portions of southern North America, it makes a bed
of sticks, mosses, &e. in a dense cane-break (sufficiently thick to protect the animal by its overhanging loaves). At times
the Cougar utters a peculiarly shrill cry or shriek; and I once heard this in the dead of night, when encamped on the
St John's river in Florida. The animal seemed to he directly over my te n t; and the unearthly yell made my flesh creep,
and brought me out to the Are, that was burning brightly before the tent, in a moment. I could sec nothing however,
in the darkness; all was still; and after waiting a short time, in hopes of gettmg a shot at the intruder, I returned
to the tent The Puma expresses satisfaction and pleasure by purring like the tame c a t; hut when angered, usually
utters a low growl. Although the adult is generally devoid of all spots or markings, the young are, on the contraiy, much
spotted, especially on the legs and loins, these spots gradually disappearing as they get older. Notwithstanding the
¿ e a t extent of country over which this species roams, there do not appear to be any indications whatever of there being
more than one species. Some ore lighter in the colour of their.coats than others; and I have noticed that the length
of tail varies considerably; but this is also to be seen in many species of this family, and has no specific importance.
The cubs are nursed by the mother until half grown, when they begin to hunt a little for themselves; they, do not,
however, leave the dam until she is again with young, when she probably drives them away, or they seek mates for
themselves. This species is about five feet in length from the nose to the end of the tail, this last being three feet m
length The female is slightly smaller than the male. . „
| ummcv pdage -general colour reddish brown, slightly darker on the tail. Line above the eyes, upper hp in front,
cheeks, throat and breast beneath pure white. A broad black mark on each side of the upper lip. Tail frequently
tipped with black. Nose to root of tail 3 feet 9 inches; tail 2 feet 4 inches.
Winter pelage is a dark grey or mouse-colour, with certain parts of the body white, as mentioned above.
Young are bright buff, spotted all over with dark brown or brownish black; the tail also ringed and tipped with
brown. These spots become reduced in size as the animal gets older, and at length they disappear altogether.
The skull of the Puma is very deep anteriorly, and in its profile view is greatly arched above, and in some specimens
possesses a well-developed crest. The face is short, and nearly on a level with the forehead, with rather narrow nasals,
which extend to a point at their fronto-nasal articulation, and are deeply depressed in their centre, forming a groove
along the symphysis. Infraorbital foramen oblong. Brain-case short, regularly arched, or rounding evenly outward,
with the parietal suture well back, giving a rather “ long-waisted ” appearance to the skull when viewed from above.
Infraorbital space rather narrow. Mandibular ramus straight for three fourths its length from the symphysis, then curving
slightly downward to the angle. Malar bone broad, and, with the zygoma, forming an oblong curve. Canines stout,
rather broad at their crown, but not of any considerable length. Molar series well developed. The os hyoides, as
stated by Mivart (The Cat, p. 397), is connected with the skull by a continuous chain of bones, as in the Cat.