The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-11-29
A KITTEN OF THE AMAZON.
Interesting Ways of a Young Cougar
Reared Under Kindly Treatment
From the Youths Companion.

From the Youths Companion.
was sitting on deck aboard the steam
ship Hubert of the North Brazil line. and
watching her loading at a port of the Am
azon when a fellow passenger beside me
cried
what an enormous cat they are bring
ing aboard"
Well might he call her so, though she
was then but two months old. Four weeks
later she weighed over forty pounds, ana
was 1 feet inches long from the muzzle
to the tip of her tail. She was in fact,
young cougar or striped puma-always
called tiger in the Guianas-one of litter
that had been captured by AN Indian OF the
Amazon when they were very young.
He had sold this one to Capt. Crimp OF
the Hubert who was now taking ner TO
Barbadoes There he gave her TO the ma
rine hotel at Hastings. where l stayed for
some weeks and completed my acquaint-
ance with her ladyship.
on first seeing her she looked so danger
Gus that | had no expectation of reckoning
her among my cat friends. and gave her
no attention, but the next day at sea saw
that she was suffering thirst
Il give her water once a day, and then
she takes very little Of it,, said the sailor
who mad her in charge.
So | had a basin of water put near her
OF which she Tapped little many times
day, as cats will, and for this she was
probably grateful. Moreover, / placed
steamer chair so that she could lie in its
shade.
The next day, while / was reading near
where she was chained, / felt something
placed on my knee and looking down saw
Tigers" chin, and her two great brown
eyes looking up 1t me; so 1t was plain that
she was affectonately disposed. After this
7 tIzr 70 n
such results that one evening when she
slipued her chain and sneaked away UNI
seen they found her under the berth in my
cabin which she had "smelled out for
mine. So, at any rate, the sailors insisted
probably with good reason.
Her friendship was not an unahoyed
pleasure, as the sailor, William, who fed
her, had occasion to know. Being fond
of her he would sometimes roll over and
over with her a sport which she evidently
enjoyed; but now and then she would blte
him playfully, but SO hard that he had
to yell, stout seaman though he was.
After such an occurrence he would pun
ish her by avoiding her for day or so,
and then she would utter what we spoke
OF as her 'love call" for an hour or
more, until he came and was good
friends" once more. This love call is a
very curious sound-a chirrup- or must
cal whistle as if from the throat OF a
bird When first heard it her head and
paws were in my lap, but l did not per-
ceive the sound to be hers
"Where is the bird?" i asked her at
tendant sailor.
Bird be blowed. It's the tiger" said
he.
one evening when went into the trunk
room for some clean clothing, j found
Tiger seated near me on a barrel, and as
I stopped to unlock my trunk her strong
paws clasped me around the neck from be-
hind and her hot breath painted in my ear.
dared not move; her claws were sharp,
and / knew they would press in terribly
If / tried TO put her away; | could only
think. What will be, will be-" Then
she laid her soft muzzle against my cheek.
and her hold relaxed After that l had
little fear Of my friend.
AT the Marine hotel they kept her chain
ed by a light iron chain sixteen feet long
to an iron stake in the courtyard so that
she could roll in the grass, lie on tine We
randa, or so to bed under arches safely
sheltered from rain or wind. Here I had
much opportunity for studying her pecu-
liarities.
She cannot NEW, as a domestic cat does
| but she purrs gruffiy, though never for
more than short time. The pupils of her
| eyes do not contract to an upright slit
| like those of the house cat, but are round
! in all lights. She is fond of water; loves
to lie out on the grass during a shower;
NJ, Will
| OFTEN make an artificial puddle to sprawl
! in by upsetting her water dish.
Like many house cat, IL pleases her to
/ be lifted and carried about by a friend;
she loves to sit in ones lap; to curl up in
| big armchair also delights her. OF her
familiar pet names she is so fond that
| she VIII soon notice them IL they are lt-
| tered caressingly even from a distance
and Will respond by her singular love call
| Invariably she chirrups a welcome when
| the hotel doors are opened by the watch
/ man in the morning, which shows pretty
| clearly that she has missed human com
| pany during the night. She enjoys being
stroked or scratched on head neck, back
| belly and forepaws, but allows nobody to
NEEDLE with her hind legs nor with her
| tail. Taylor, a colored man at the hotel
/ made rapid strides in her favor by putting
| his head again hers. When / did the same
! the showed the livelest affection. and
then l surmised that she had been seek
/ ing this caress when she put her paws
| round my neck in the trunk room on The
steamer
| She lives to humble friends hand in
her mouth, or to chew gently on a
| thumb; when she did this to me in the
dark she would frequently stop and lick
| my hand as II to reassure me As a
favor she will give her paw to be held
and she likes to lie in touch with a friend ;
] foot; evidently such personal contact Is
! with her sign of affection. She Is very
fond Of human company, and when a Wit
ness is present plays much more gayly
than when she thinks she is unobserved
! Music quite fascinates her; when the
music box of the hotel is set going. or
when the maids sing in the kitchen or
laundry, she is sure to perch on the steps
and listen, whether by day or by night.
White cloth and red cloth seem to please
! her particularly / have seen her carry a
white silk handkerchief for ten minutes
without tearing it i'm the least once she
severely wrenched one of her forepaws by
leaping with complication Of her chain
and during the weeks while her hurt was
mending she would lie for hours on her
side. gently rolling white ball under her
| sound paw
She was very obedient patient when ill.,