The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-12-23

How Two schooIboys In Oregon killed .
Mountain Lion.

A recent letter in THE Sun. describing the
animals OF the Patagonian plains, narratos some
interesting characteristics of the puma or pan
ther. which are well known TO people in regions
where he abounds." said the man from the
Rockies. This information. Of indisputablc
accuracy. upsets some widely spread ~fallacies
concerning this beast. One OF these. the idea
that he regards man as his natural prey, is pre-
valent among people whose notions OF forest
beasts have been formed from exaggerated
stories OF the Eastern panther, a dread topic Of
rural tales and of boys reading since the first
settlers invaded the North American wilderness.
THE ferocity of the pampas puma toward all
other beasts and his gentleness or fesr In re-
spect to man finds its counterpart in the
mountain lion of tho Rocky Mountain and
Pacific coast ranges. This animal is a larger
beast than his relative Of the eastern wilderness,
there known as the panther. The mountain
lion. like the pampas puma, is terribly destruc-
tive to other wild animals and to Young live
stock, but except in romance has never figured
as an animal dangerous TO man. Owing to his
shyness toward human beings the mountain
lion is rarely seen by man. though sometimes In
waiting cry TO his mate by night, and perhaps
esnsft w SiRfiGSS II Pressed ps pie'f by hunger 11 2 ' he
may visit in the hunters absence and make way
with any meat left carelessly within reach. Like
the south American puma the mountain lion
often is found upon the plains, where his. pres
tnCt Is soon Whlt knONn 10 hnNncIe ny nus raw
ages among the colts and calves and sheep. His
flesh is white. and many North American hun
tiers. like the gauchos. consider II good eating.
THE mountain lion cub makes an attractive
pet until he gets so large as to be formidable In
strength. That point reached. while still amiable
toward his master. he becomes unsafe for
strangers to approach, and his ferce predatory
instincts are inveterately displayed toward ami
mails which are his natural prey. Until these
instincts become manifest, which usually occurs
when the whelp is about IA year old, he Is as play
full and gentle as a kitten. and his soft violet
eyes give no warning OF latent danger. The cubs
are born with faint markings OF bars and spots,
which disappear soon after their eyes get open.
This disinclination OF the puma 20 attack
man Is often attributed TO cowardice. though an
animal should hardly be termed cowardly which
will risk combat with the grizzly bear. as the
puma is known to do.
ESQ cowardly is the mountain lion,' said J. B.
TreadwelI Of California, who has often killed
them. Eat more than once when ! have shot
one in . tree wounding him so badly that he fell
10 the ground. instead OF attacking me he en-
deavored To creep away And an Oregon
schOolmaster tells Of two boys, pupils at his
school, who gave one morning as the cause OF
their tArdiness that they had stopped 10 kill .
mountain lion on the way 20 school. At sight OF
them the animal had taken Ia a tree, and, while
one boy watched him TO see that he did not
escape. the other went hack home for the gun
with which they killed hin."