Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1890-02-04
~s. aMtner. Cougar. Ca,ar.rn,n y.
sasm Lion. Three Mares
for the Same Animn,s

Sumner Wallace, Of Gar,,., -,
ley brought in a cougar or mouo,.;n
l'on skin last Thursday, which h,
s"'a 70 >. =. Bowen, Superintendent,
OF the Elkhorn nine. The .n;m.l
was skinned 80 as to be stuffed, .nc
the mead was left on. This was nro.
"'unced . cougar, mountain lion and
panther BY those who pretend to i,
experts in Pacific coast zoology. !,
Is strange what disagreement. there !,
on the Pacific coast among noun.
ta'neers and hunters a. to these an;
mas. Some contend that a mountain
i'o"' cougar and panther are one and
'he same; Others that three differen,
sn'mals sail under these three differ.
snt names, and when a number O,
those who are sure that there ara
three different animals Of the ca,
species on this coast, will disagree
when one OF these animals is present.
"a and expert opinions called for
Some will pronounce it a panther
Others will be positive it is = COUGAR
Others again will be sure that il il ,
lion. The ono Jas. Emerson killed
the early part of the winter measured
SIX feet from tip to tip. It's tail was
shorter and thicker than the one Wal.
lace killed, the body lighter color,
aud the head was also smaller and
simmer. Wallacss : animal has dark
streak running down the center OF
the back, while Emerson's did not
show this mark. The one Wallace
slew measured nlne feet from tip to
tip and weighed one hundred and
fifty pounds. Emerson's weighed
about seventy-6ve pounds. The pre-
pondersnce of evidence is that the
animal Wallace killed isa cougar,
aad the one Emerson slew is 4 pan
thsr. There are other differences be.
sides those mentioned. We are
firmly OF the opinion that panther
and cougar are not two names for the
same animal, and that the cougar is
the larger and 6ercer looking of the
two, and from the fact that what is
termed the lion in California, is much
larger than the cougar Of Idaho,
sometimes reaching the enormous
weight OF 400 pounds, it is pretty
positive that he differs from either OF
the other two, but is of the same
species. We have heard it stated
that there are sections in California
inhabited by all three of these ami.
mails. Will some old hunter who has
slain these animals in California and
other parts of the coast come to the
front and tell US tho differences be.
tween the panther, cougar and lion.
Webster defines the cougar as ga
carnivorous quadruped of the Amsri-
can continent of the genus FEDS
Felis concoior, or Puma concolor ol
some naturalists); called also puma
and panther" Webster defines the
puma as "the Fe',s concolor, of q
brownish, yellow color, without spots
the second largest American tiger
aud found from Texas to Patagonia
The definition of the panther is thai
| it is ~ fierce and carnivorous quad
ruped (Fel,s pardus of some authors)
found in Asia and Africa; the leopar,
of larger, darker-colored variety
marked with larger ring-like spots
the center of which is darker than tht
general color of the body. The name
is also applied to other species OF th'
genus, as to the cougar" 1t will b'
seen that Webster's definitions arr
not satisfactory, and do not agree
1t will be seen that he gives the pan
thsr and cougar as the same thing
also the puma, but the definition o
the puma makes him different ami
NAL.