Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1886-06-16
THE MOUNTAIN LION.
The Biggest and Most Power.
full OF Wildcats.
Able to Whip arisalios and to Leap Tremon-
dous Distances,

In the course OF an article on the
mountain lion, correspondent of the
80 n Francisco Cal, writing from South
cm California, says: The power of tho
puma is not exaggerated, and many in.
stances are on record where grizzlies have
been found dead, and torn in q way that
showed that the mountain lion must
have done tho work. Instances of their
remarkable jumping powers arc very
common in the East, and South, and in
this country near the McCloud River
where the animals are very common, Mr..
Livingston Stone followed their tracks
to the foot of Mount Perscphonc, where
they convcrgcd to the foot of cliff
twenty feet in height, showing that to
reach their home the lions must have
taken this leap directly up.
The mountain Ion is remarkable for
its wide geographical range. When
was on tho Florida reef som, years ago,
tho wrccEcrs OF the key complained
that a panther, as they called it there,
had swum across from the main land and
carried of II pig, while another shoat had
its car bitten of. In the Adriondacks it
is comparatively common, and known as
the painter among the woodsmcn. In
fact, it ranges both continents, from the
Straits Of Magellan north to Canada.
In South. America it is known as the
puma; III California the American lion or
cougar, while the carcajou or Quinqua.
Joll M d catamount are other titles given
it IN various lands. The American lion,
how ever, is its true title, rs it is the lar
Test cat in this country, and takes the
l,1acc of tho lion there. Long, slender,
and graceful in its motions, 1.-the and
powerful, it is the type of agility and
strength; and if it does not possess the
courage of the Afric IN cats ii has quite
enough when hcmmcd in, to give the
hunter good fight. | have been in
formed that n specimen has been killed
in this State six feet in length, including
the tail, and this may be considered the
maximum size. In such an animal the
height at the shoulder would be about
two feet and one or two inches A puma
was kept at Woodwarl's, IN San Fran
cisco, that was nearly rs large rs an
African lioncsS, measuring four feet from
the tip of the snout to the root of the tail.
In contrasting the puma with others i.
will be noticed that its head is smaller in
proportion to the size of the body than
all other cats except perhaps, the Loop
ard. The skull is about eight inches
long and five and three eight inches
wide. The color Of all the pumas that it
has been my good fortune to sec has been
uniform reddish, becoming lighter be-
low. There are no markings except in
the young, upon which there are several
rows of stripes and spots on the back and
sides.
The panther has been the subject OF
many thrilling adventures, in books, but
/ have never been able to find single in
stance in the East where one of these ami.
mails voluntarily attacked ahuman being,
though when wounded they make say,
age resistance. So, too, the books con.
tain accounts of the roars of the panther
when it was wandering about the camp
at night, and while have spent consid-
cradle time in the most impcnctrable
parts of the Adirondacks, where these
sounds arc supposed to be frequent, it
was never my good fortune to hear the
roar of the American lion; and, moreover
found that all old hunters said that it
was an extremely quiet animal, following
its prey silently.
In South America the natives tell many
stories of its cunning that are to be re-
ccivcd with some caution. One of these
tales is that it initiates the blcating of the
deer so accurately that these animals are
lurcd within its reach
The greatest pest in Southern Califor-
nin M thn 70 &,
tains quite a large size among the foot
hills, and commits great depredations in
chicken yards. A friend recently caught
one that had a record of forty chickens
before it was finally trapped; and that
the creatures are vicious and will fight
when cornered there is little doubt. The
same friend heard noise in his chicken |
coop one night some time ago, and going
out, revolver in hand, saw in the dim
light large cat. He fired twice in rap
id succession, when the animal sprang,
but caught the third bullet in mid air,
and dropped dead at his feet.
The GOODNESS of these creatures is pro-
verbal. A few weeks ago | followed
the Arroyo Scco down the mountain on
horseback with Professor Wheeler of the
University of California, when as we
turned up road leading to Orange
avenue, not stones throw from the
thickley settled portion of Pasadena, the
largest wildcat ever saw, indeed, was
inclined to think it the spotted lynx,
stepped out of the bushes in front of our
horses, sat down on its launches and
gazed at us, and finally, after each party
had satisfied its scrutiny it lcipcd into
the bush and disappeared down the steep
sides of the canon, neither of us having
any weapon to stay it. 1t is, rs l have
suggested not impossible that it was the
spotted lynx, that ranges south as far as
the City of Mexico, along the Rio
Grandc country and into Southern Cali
forna 1t is, however, quite rare, and l
have never heard Of a specimen having
been caught here. This animal, while it
seems to differ from the common lynx, is
in rpolitv only n variety thn animals W.