The Hot Springs star. (Hot Spings [Hot Springs], Dakota [Dakota Territory, i.e. S.D.]) 1886-189?, 1890-05-16
4 cATAMouNt,s LEAP.
Il Was to Death, hut Through, No Fault
Of tho Animals Agility.

OF the Animals Agility.
ssI've seen it disputed In tho papers that
a wildcat. or catamount, can MAKO o leap OF
twenty-five feet" said q resident OF Sullt-
van County to New York Sun reporter,
s'and would like to mention what saw c
wildcat do once. was trout fishing on
one of the upper tributaries Of the Beaver
kill, and had clambered down into y deep
rnvine to get at q tempting pool at the foot
of a fall where / was sure my casts weu!l
be rewarded by the killing Of soma big
trout. I was not mistaken as to thai. j
hud landed four trout, the smallest one
eighteen inches long, and sat down to sfsss
the pool' Both sides Of the ravt,ie were
pcrpcndlcular walls Of rock, probably
twenty-five feet high. The summit Of tho
wall OH tine side of the creek opposite t., .T:e
sloped back gradually from iis edge fcr
several feet to heavy growth OF pine.
.As was sitting OF tho bo,tcn, OF the
ravtnc happened to glance up to the top CT
the rocks opposite me, and saw he@
pheasant ntacconip pan led by her newly ia.chci
peck her way along the slop!ng open space,
hunting food for her young, which cus-
tered closely about her. The p.icasoat
cane close to the edge OF the prcc;ai.:s, cnd
it seemed to rnc that size w:ss placing :,c.
brood In n most dangerous position. S.!s,'.
shc turned as ii to walk buck with them to
the pincs. The instant she turlt s.n,ss-
thing like shadow fitted across the topoi
the rav,aa, and half second later saw ai,
cnorrioas wildcat clinging to tho edge c !:
the opposite wall by his fore feet, holding
, the pheasant between his jaws. The Wild
cat struggled for q moment to drag himself
from the edge of tho abyss to suro foot
ing on the top of the rocks, but his effort
was in vain, and he came crashing down
the face Of the preclpice, still holding the
luckless pheasant i'll HE jaws. He fell
with splash in the water, and lay motion
less ut the edge Of the pool.
81 suppose that tho animal had been
watching the pheasant from the bushes on
top of the rocks opposite where the bird had
appeared with her brood, and at h...i oppor-
tunity had lcaped across to eeizs ii'.r.
but hid misjldgei the distance a:d fallen
short, with tho result SO fatal 70 bin.
| Tile wlrl of the wafer brought the wild.
J cat around in o short time 10 lie side where
Twas standing, and as was bending down
| to examine nm / saw a man with {: g,:r
scral bling down the rocks. The man soen
reached my side, and l then learned that he
ii;l,, stiet the wildcat as the anirial "a. fly
ing across the chasm upon his prey. Gure
enough, just at the base Of the uni:::ai &
br;,a was Tho hole made by the rif!e ball.
The hunter had been following the wild ca,
| for some time, and had lost trick OF hiii,.
but came near the edge Of the ravino II:
time to see HIM make his leap ;:sit'
followed him with the bullet. It VIZ,
tina. which had stopped the animal short III
tho tremendous leap it had calculated I'm o:
! it would have cleared the space with :'afei,
, and do. btless with case. The wildcat nrs
| in realty almost in his death si.l';'s
when he struck tho pheasant, which hs
chung to with the clutch Of death. and s;i!
| held in hts mouth when we dragged t:;,s
out of tho water. We measured the wi'!;}
| of the chasm across whlci, the wiid-.,nt iiii
made his death leap The measurement
| vas fari 81 hrcn feet.