The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1889-11-06
WHOLE NO. 1898.



i've seen /. disputed in the papers
that a wildcat or catamount can make a
leap Of twenty-five feet" said a re1iseni
of Sullivan county to New York Sun
man, ~and ~ould ike 60 mention what
saw wildcat do once. l was trout fish,
ing on one Of the upper tributaries Of the
Beaverkill and had clambered down in
deep ravine to get at tempting pool
at the foot Of fall, where Was sure my
casts would be rewarded by the killing
Of some big trout. was not mistaken
as to that. / had landed four trout. the
smallest one eighteen inches long, and
sat down TO rest the pool Both siLes Of
the rayine we're perpendicular walls Of
rock, probably twenty-five feet high.
The Summit Of the wall on the SIDE Of
the creek opposite to me sloped back
gradually from It's edge for several feet to
heavy growth Of pine.
''As was sitting at the bottom Of the
ravine happened to glance up to tae top
Of the rocks opposite me and saw a hen
pheasant accompanied by her newly
Aafched brood come out Of the piu,ss aad
scratch and peck her way aiong the slop-
ing open space, hunting food for her
young, which clustered closely about her.
The pheasant came very close 10 the
precipiee, and it seemed to me that she
was placing her brood in a most danger
Gus position, when she turned as if to
walk back with theIn 70 the pines The
instant she turned something like a
shadow fitted across the top Of the "a
vine. aud half a second later I saw an
enormous wildcat ciinging to the edge Of
the opposite wall by It's fore feet, holding
the pheasant between its jaws. The
wildcat struggled for moment tO drag
himself from the edge Of the abyss to a
sure footing on the top Of the rocks, but
his effort was in vain, and he came
crashing down the flce Of the precipice
still holding the luckless pheasant in his
jaws. He fell with q splash in the wa
ter and lay motionless at the edge Of the
pool.
Il supposed the animal had been
watching the pheasant from the bushes
on top Of the rock opposite where the
bird had appeared with her brood, and
at his opportunity had leaped across TO
seize her, but had misjudged the distance
and fallen short with the result 50 fatal
TO him.
"The whirl Of the water brought the
wildcat around in a short time to the
side where | vas standing, and as Was
bending down to examine him / saw
mai scrambiing down the rocks. The
man soon reached my side, and I then
learned that be had shot the wildcat as
the animal was 1Fing across the chasm
upon his prey. g1re enough, just at the
base Of the animals brain was the hole
made by the rife bullet. The hunter
had been following the wildcat for some
time. and had lost track Of him, but
came near the edge Of the rAvine n time
to see him make his leap and follow him
with bullet. IT was that which stopped
the animal snort in the tremendous leap
it had calculated on. or il would have
cleared the space with ease The wildcat
was in reality almost in its death throes
when he struck the pheasant, which he
elung 70 with the clutch Of death, and
still held in his mouth when we dragged
him out of the water. We measured the
width Of the ehasm across which the
wildcat had made his death leap. The
measurement was forty-three feet"