The Tupelo journal., 1907-03-15
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SOUTH AMERICAN PUMA.
1t is Mans Only Friend Among Beats
of the Jungle.

although the resemblance to a lion IS
very slight. 1t is the dreaded panther
Cor painter) of North America. and
man tales of it's ferocity and blood
thirstiness are current.
1t is now rare in the United States,
but in South America the puma, to
give it's proper name, abounds, and
there it seems to have lost its ~ferocity
and is actually a friend to man.
A traveller in South America who
has investigated this strange subject,
gives several peculiar instances OF the
puma's friendliness to man.
He tells of a person h had spent
most of his life on the pampas, and
who, on one occasion, when travelling,
lost his horse by death and was COM
PEELED to continue his journey on foot.
At night he made his bed under the
shelter of a rock, on the slope OF a
stony sierra; a bright moon was shin
ing, and about nine o'clock in the
evening four pumas appeared, two
adults with their two half-grown
young.
Not feeling the least alarmed at
their presence, he did not stir, and
after awhile they began to gambol to-
gether close to him, ~concealing them
selves from each other among the
rocks, just as kittens do, and frequent
ly, while pursuing one another, leap
ing over him. He continued watching
them until past midnight, then fell
asleep and did not wake until MORN
ing, when they had left him.
/ asked him if he had ever killed a
puma, and he replied that he had
killed only one, and had sworn never
to Kill another. He said that while
out one day with another herder, look
ing for cattle, a puma was found.
1t sat up with it's back against a
stone, and did not move, even when
his companion threw the moose of his
lasso over its neck. My informant
then ~dismounted, and, drawing his
knife, advanced. to kill it. Still the
puma made no attempt to free itself
from the lasso, but it seemed to know,
he said, what was coming-for it be-
gan to tremble, the tears ran from it's
eyes, and it whined in the most pitiful
manner.
He killed it as it sat there unresist-
ing before him, but, after accomplish
ing the deed felt hat he had COM
mitted a murder. 1t was the only
thing he had ever done in his life, he
added, which filed him with remorse
when he remembered.
All who have killed or witnessed the
killing of a puma-and | have ques-
toned scores of hunters on this point
agree that it resigns itself in this
unresisting, pathetic manne to death
at the hands of man.
Claudio Gay, in his Natural History
of Chilli" says: "Whep attacked by
man, its energy and daring at once
forsake it, and it becomes a weak, in
offensive animal, and, trembling and
uttering piteous means and shedding
abundant tears, it seems to implore
The enemy is not often generous, but
many herders have assured me, when
speaking on this subject, that although
they kill the puma readily to protect
their domestic animals, they consider
it an evil thing to take its life in
desert places, where it is mans only
friend among the wild animals.
When the hunter is accompanied by
dogs, hen the puma, instead of droop-
ing and shedding tears, is reused to a
sublime rage; its hair stands erect; it's
eyes shine like balls of green flame, it
spits and snarls like a furious cat.
The hunters presence seems at such
times to be ignored altogether, it's
whole attention being given to the
dogs and its rage directed against
them.
IN Patagonia, a sheep-farming
Scotchman with whom 1 spent some
days, showed me the skulls of five
pumas which he had shot in the vicin-
ity of his ranch. One was of an excep-
tionally large animal, and / here re-
late what he told me of his encounter
with this puma, as it shows just how
the creature almost invariably behaves
when attacked by man and dogs:
He was out on foot with his flock.
when the dog discovered the animal
concealed among the bushes. He had
left his gun at home, and having no
weapon, and finding that the dogs
dared not attack it where it sat in a
defiant attitude, with its back against
a thorny bush, he looked about and
found a large dry stick, and, going
boldly up to it, tried to stun it with a
violent blow on the head. But though
it never looked at him, it's fiery ewes
gazing steadily at the dogs all the
time, he could not hit it, for, with a
quick side movement, it avoided every
blow.
The small heed the puma paid him,
and the apparent ease with which it
avoided his best aimed blows, only
served to his spirit, and at
length, striking with increased force,
his stick came to the ground and was
broken to pieces. For some moments
he now stood within two yards of the
animal, perfectly defenseless and not
knowing what to do.
OuuuSAiy 1 opidu5 past Hill, dCtudl-
ly brushing against his arm with it's
side, and began pursuing the dogs
around and around among the bushes.
In the end my informant's partner ap-
dog of uncertain breeding.
Feminine Diplomacy.
She latter accepting him)-And you
have a rich bachelor uncle?