Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1890-02-13
a oArAMouNr,s LEAP.
It Was TO Death, But Through No Fault
of the Animals Agility.

II Was TO Death, But Through No Fault
of the Animals Agility.
"rve seen it disputed in the papers that
wildcat or catamount, can msl1e a leap Of
twenty-five feet" SAID resident OF Sulli
van County to New York Sun reporter,
land l would like to mention what saw o
wildcat do once. 1 was trout fishing on
one of the upper tributaries of the Beaver
kill, and had clambered down into a deep
ravlne to get at a tempting pool at the foot
Of n fall, where | was sure my casts would
be rewarded by the killing of some big
trout. 1 was not mistaken as to that.
had landed four trout, the smallest one
eighteen inches long, and sat down to rest
the pool Both sides of the ravine wert
perpendicular walls Of rock, probably
twenty-five feet nigh. The summit Of the
wall on the side of the creek opposite to me
sloped back gradually from its edge for
several feet to heavy growth Of pine.
"As 1 was sitting at the bottom of the
ravine happened to glance up TO the top oil
the rocks opposite me, and saw heE
pheasant accompanied by her newly hatched
brood come out of the pines and scratch ano
peck her way along the slOping open space,
hunting food for her young, which clus-
tered closely about her. The pheasant
came close to the edge Of the precipice, and
it seemed to me that she was placing her
brood in most dangerous position, when
she turned as if to walk back with them to
the pines. The instant she turned some
thing like shadow fitted across the top of
the ravlue, and half a second later l saw an
enormous wildcat clinging to the edge OF
the opposite wall by his fore feet, holding
the pheasant between his Jaws. The wild
cat struggled for moment 10 drag himself
from the edge of the apyss TO q sure foot
ing on the top of the rocks, but his effort
was in vain, and he came crashing down
the face of the preciplce, still holding the
luckless pheasant IN his Jaws. He fel
with a splash in the water, and lay motion
less at the edge of the pool.
81 suppose that the 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 his oppor'
| tunlty hau leaped across to seize her,
but had misjudged the distance and fallen
short, with the result so fatal TO nim.
''The whirl of the water brought the wild
cat around in a snort time to the side where
| was standing, and as was bending down
| to examine MN l saw man with CUR
scram bling down the rocks. The man soor
reacned my side, and l tnen learned that he
| had shot the wlId.ca as the animal was fly
ing across the chasm upon his prey. Sure
| enough, lust at the base Of the animal s
braln was the hole made by the rifle ball
The hunter mad been following the wildcat
for some time, and had lost track Of him
but came near the edge of the ravine il
time to sec him make his leap ant
followed HIM with the bullet. 1t wa'
that which had stopped the animal short il
the tremendous leap it had calculated on Of
! it would have cleared the space with safety
and doubtless with ease. The wildcat wa
in realty almost in his death throe
when he struck the pheasant, which h
chung to with the clutch of death, and still
held in his mouth when we dragged hin
out of the water. We measured the widt
of the chasm across which the wildcat ha
MADE his death leap The measurement
was forty-three feet.