The sun., 1880-02-22
NEW BOOKS,
..,r,,,r Adventures in the Far west

,..,i.t of the hnunts and habits Of the
ut class II game encountered in the States
..'',r.,.o. ',.o Rocky Mountains is offered us in
..,..,ut.,.,i SppriJ,y IdreDturrs ui he Far
r., ly I.uS MORTIMER MURPHY Illarpcrsl.
.,u,.i'- gu.l.u'Htions nre rather those OF
l,..nrtlau of the scientist. Nevertheless
,,.f the facts verified 10y his personal ob-
s,,,i,r arr of interest and Importance to the
.,r,ou, Of natural history. Mr.. Murphy some
AIMS ,ails 10 mako the most of his opportuni-
,",,s il, the ou~o Of the coyote or prairie Wolf,
,ac..,a.cl hnb.t of cn0poiniion and practice
',.yr.. In communities would well repay pro-
,,n...l and careful study. On the othrr hand.
H., datn which ho has collected touching the
,,i,,,y raar the black benr, the cougar. tho
r,,yv wolf. aud the buffalo include much which.
W,o, altogether novel. at least needed authcn-
.,s,on; and on this account tho volume will
r,obaAlv re,oiya considerable attention from
,..ur.I!ss. W. propose to mark. here and
Isro incidents and observations which indi-
ont, the measure Of intelligence developed in
rrr.a.n OF the animals described.
rnrpcar, that the grizzly boar, notwlthstand-
,rc is dangerous character in wild state. is
.aT,hl, Of being tamod II taken young. and IL
,rroted kindly will follow ono about like dog.
Ne Murray arlirms that Ee has seen several OF
Il CtNAlllOu Ol Sfllll ll-NlblllfblltUllOn On
mo pacific coast, though he notes that they
r,rld no, bear too much familiarity after they
nod reached adult age. As regards magnanim-
i,y be considers that the grizzly is quite equal
,o,he lion. for it has been known to wound n
ST,lo severely. and then voluntarily let the
Moor creature escape. He confirms the state
nert that this animal will not harm man
rbom II supposes to be dead. and he
Of N Jp1 ,rl,o
having been knocked down and wounded
in the back. took cx'elcnt care on falling to lie
nsrfectly still and to bury his mouth. nostris,
and eyelils in the deep alkali dust. so that his
BREATHING could not be perceived. The grizzly
srer snuillnG at him and rudely paving him
,bout for while, must have arrived at the con-
r,son that the man was dead for it withdrew
without doing him any further injury We may
hersmcntion that Mr.. Murphy's assertions con-
eernlng the size of these animals are marked
byacommeniabie caution not always observed
10 hunters and travellers. He has heard" he
tells u.s. Of some grizzlies that attained a length
oireary nine feet and weight of 500 pounds !:
bathe largest he had actually seen meas
ur,l seven feet in length. and weighed about
S0pounds when in good condition.
Regarding tho black bear, the author adduces
somewhat notable proof OF foresight. He
st4s that the female. when pregnant retires
70 same secluded and ll-nigh inaccessible
pt'a. and there remains until the cubs are able
10 move about brisky enough to fee to her
W 70 attacked by wolves or other foes. So
Crndiy do the mothers secrete themselves
GYsu-; the period Of CESSATION. that Mr.. Murphy
never heard Of u pr 'Enant one being killed. or
even seen. Notwithstanding the number that
are shot during their occasional migrations.
He was assured by hunters and frontiersmen.
familiar with the animals habits. that during
IT. hyoarnation the bear sucks its forepaws so
much that they are very tender when it arouses
Itself from its torpor. They were further
said, although for this assertion the author
does not vouch. to close certain apertureS
Of the body with clay to prevent the passage
otany element OF nutrition that could support
existence while in its dormant state. Ii appears
that the black bear is so keen-scented. and re-
iers asccnr infaibly to its origin that it will
not approach traps set by hunters until after the
wind and sun or dew and rain have utterly ex-
tingushed the faint smell which the human
hand had left upon them. The fact is also
authenticated that the black bear. on passing
trough dense underbrush. will sometimes
ave the impression of his teeth on the young
tees at certain intervals as high up as he can
reach as il he were desirous OF making his
whereabouts known to other members OF his
family.
Among the Rocky Mountains tho cougar or
puma is OF smaller size than in the Southern
States, where food is more abundant. The
largest measured by Mr.. Murphy was hfty-six
inches long Exclusive OF the tail. which was
hirty-,hree inchesl thirty-one inches tall and
hturned the scale at 1877 pounds. The chnrac-
er Of the cougar is like that Of the cat family
IL general. whether wild or domesticated: that
Is to say, il is naturally timid. and will fee be-
fore man. but is exceedingly fierce and daring
Wien pressed by hunger. when wounded. or
when defending its young. The cougar is
scarcely susceptible OF domesticaton its kit
tens are sometimes carefully housed and pet
lei. Out, though playful when young they are
anything but pleasant or safe companions when
oil enough 20 display their natural tenn
pr They eTincs Attachment to no person.
III eynn to him who feeds them habi;ualy.
IIat IN It's wild state. however. tho animal
suet.mes shows itself playful with man may
bl-luici from an incident recounted in this
volume. farmer in Washington Territory.
walking along road on a dark night. felt some
Ting touch his Lex. and. looking down, WAS al
Mt dZ'd to 500 Il huge cougar rubbing its
mead aEA'ast him and purr!ng pleasantly. The
animal accompanied him for Il mile or more.
and GanuoioA Hrouud him in the most good
humorei manner. now running ahead for sew
eral yards and rubbing its head and side
Na.ns him strongly. Ms a pet house cat would.
FROM another incident here recorded. it would
sesm that the cougar would. at times. volun-
mrllJ take to water, a fact very seldom observed
IN any Species OF the Fclidr. We may add
tuat tlH - pyr..ri.4,.,,l