The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-10-16
CONCERNING TIE PANTHER.
&c Has Lazy Way About Him. But Is
Ohock Full of Business.

OlGCA 4 ia va ONAoihS9os
From the Forest and Stream.
A recent article IN Forest and Stream
describes the habits of the cougar or pau
Their as seen in the forests of Northern New
York, and I venture to add something fur
Their as TO the peculiarlties of this animal.
From 1924 to 1S49 my home was In one Of
the sparsely settled valleys of that region
and had frequent reminders Of this beast
not only from hearsay, but from my own
observation aud that Of an immediate neigh
Dor.
The cougar (Felis concolor) was there
called panther or painter, and also cata-
mount Panther was the terror of the
children of the children Of that region The
legendary "black beast" of the nursery, the
bear. though plentiful enough with US, ex-
cited no such terror in our minds as did
suggestion that the painter might catch us.
| To scream like q painter was understood as
the most terrific OF all screams In that
comparison the pillars OF Hercules were
reached. But the boys of that region all
became hunters as soon as they could carry
gun, and soon outgrew their fears. The
stories OF the ferocity and monstrous leaps
of our panther suffered serious diminution
under an actual and frequent observation
of the beast.
Some Of my earliest ideas about this ami
NAL came from being shown the carcass of
81 8l6eD iYluR IN tue CROUCH OF Dig DlrC0
tree, and about forty feet from the ground
There was snow on the ground, and it was
plain to see that some animal had brought
it from well-fenced yard just across the
road from our house. In the yard one lamb
lying a few yards away from the other
sheep had had the top of it's head knocked
off by blow fro-l an animal which had
leaped a long distance to strike the lamb,
and had done it no further violence. Sew
eral sheep lay dead in the yard and partly
eaten. Wolves and cougars had agreed in
hunting together, but when it came to the
repast the cat like instinct of the cougar in
cliped him to take his share into the tree
beyond the chance Of interference.
Two cougars came one night into the
pasture of farmer, living mile south OF
US, and killed five sheep. carrying the bodies
a few rods Into the woods, and after eating
a part buried the remainder very carefully
with a cover Of dry leaves and dirt. The
farmers boys set bear trap and caught
the male cougar the first night. My hunt
ing dog had q habit, il was not going To
hunt, of going to this neighbours to see IL
he could get his boys to CO. and was there
that morning in time TO go with them to
their trap. The dog. finding the animal In
the trap ran up to il, and got such a blow
from its paw as sent him some yards away,
and the panther snatched piece OF flesh
from the dogs shoulder blade, leaving bare
a piece OF bne DOno bS AhI ko az uhlI QOllhF,
and in that plight he returned TO me.
That evening at dusk was ia the road
half mile from our house. where / had
been to drive the COWS to pasture, when the
female mate Of the captured cougar, start
ing apparently from the side of the mount
ain opposite to me and quarter of a mile
away, walked slowly along toward the
place where her mate had been killed, and
ali the way, at short intervals, giving such
terrific screams as had never heard before.
aud as most decidedly hurried my pace to-
ward the house, where / found the family
standing in the front yard to hear the same
alarming screams which had startled me.
Part of her notes seemed those Of anger and
some OF intense grief. For half an hour
she continued her wailings and then was no
more heard from.
Cougars rarely attack men, but are not
easily frightened when confronted. Two of
my fathers log choppers had felled pine
tree at evening, and next morning had ap-
preached il from the top intending to cut
IL into logs. On the butt OF the tree they
saw large cougar lying, apparently asleep.
The men agreed TO give IL big scare and
see how far 1t could leap.
They ran along the trunk Of the tree and
gave joint scream; the animal simply got
up and faced them. They reiterated, when the
beast quietly got off the log and waded of
through the snow.
A son of mine, travelling In Arizona,
camped one night under some trees. After
getting his coffes he lay down on bis blanket
by the fire. Then a cougar jumped down
fore the man could use his gun.