The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1889-04-03
HUNTING THE WILD CAT.
rho Terror to a Pack, It's Habits
and Fighting Qualities.
The To1hOund the Best Dog for Hunting
the Fierce Feline-The Ethics of
tho uunt-How to Dress
It's Skin.

|Eet value of only $l.25 or 81 80, it not
ranking so high as it's cousin, the lynx,
with which many people confuse it.
Wildcat fur is used to some extent as
Ia trimming for garments, and occa-
|sionally a young lady's muff is made of
h, but it has never received the stamp
Of fashion as a fur. A wildcat sleigh
robe can be made very stylish affair.
IA wildcat rug, representing simply
line dressed skin, with the head and
claws left on, and not mounted on an
absurd red and green cloth to take all
the tone out of its colors, is beauti-
| full ornament for room, and one that
is becoming fashionable. For fall or
winter robe for baby carriage, moth
lag is more beautiful than perfect
wildcat skin, with its tawny reds, its
creamy whites, its black-tipped ears
and big black polka dots on legs and
tanks. This is especially true if the
baby is blonde.
A great many people do not know
what wild cat is, in spite of the
Tact that this animal is Or was, ma
tive to almost all the timbered or
mountainous portions of the country.
The lynx has longer fur than the wild
cat and has also q considerable tuft
Of hair at the ends of its ears, which
the wild cat has not. The lynx is
rather more northern animal than the
wild cat. The little spotted cat known
In Texas and Northern Mexico as the
leopard cat" is sometimes called the
Wild cat. The former animal is alto
gether different. Its coat resembles
That OF the leopard, except that the
black spots are not quite so large, and
us tail is fully eighteen inches long.
The main body-color of the wild cat is
solid rufous. Its tail is just barely
ong enough to take hold of.
The wild cat is carniverous, and,
since 1t must live on animals younger
taan Itself, it is a patient and persist
snt hunter. Any one who has seen a
domestic cat lie in wait for a rat, make
creep upon q flock of sparrows, Or
Climb a tree for a robins nest, may
nave good idea of the way in which
NE wild cat captures the squirrels,
aobits Or birds, which form a great
part OF its subsistence. A poisoned
carcass will sometimes have a
Wild cat by it and poisoned offal will
DC yet more apt to be eaten by it. In
common with many other wild animals,
ne Wild cat has great habit OF fol-
owing path or trail Very often the
fapper, who leaves a freshly baited
rap in the snow behind him, will catch
q wild cat which has been sneaking
along behind upon his track. Some
times in the winter wild cat will thus
FOLLOW upon the trail of a deer, seem
|ngly upon the chance that something
may turn up to kill the deer.
On account of the inaccessibility OF
The country it usually inhabits, and on
account OF its own nocturnal manner oil
|lfe, the wild cat is hardly strictly tc
|oe called an animal suitable for sport,
e' under proper circumstances no an.
maj ahoras better sport. OF course
|lt can be trapped, but that is not snort
|of course, too, one may occasional,y
have chance shot at it with the rife
though that is an infrequent occur
renee. The best and only sportsman
like way to hunt the wild cat is wit
trailing hounds.
The proper dog for this sort of hunt
Ing is the foxhound or a cross betwee
sae foxhound and bloodhound. Their
should be tinge of savageness in him
md ne should scorn to trail any gam
ess than that in question, despising al
@c trails, not noticing even the fresl
al of a deer. The big black-and
& or pepper-and-salt bear dogs
%nd in Texas, are the best wild-ca
Jugs. These give tongue savagely
WI withal melodiously, and run unit
,aeg tree their game if it be all week
.uefe should be at least two trailing
sSOunds; the more the more music an6
ae more fun. 1t would hardly be
ss ae however, to hunt SO large and
~, 'e an animal as the wild cat with
H., '~o dogs, US the latter would ii
tbaa vase vase be badly cut up, even though
ksss r ss.lea their game, as they doubt,
~ would u bred right '