Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1921-03-01
NATURAL HISTORY
OF THE south
BY JAMES HENRY RICE, Jr.
Copyright 1921 By Jas. D. Grist.)
THE PUMA.

THE PUMA.
Ordcr-Mammalia; Genus, Felis;
Family Fclidae; Species, Concolor.
The order is that Of animals which
give suck, indicated by mammae or
breasts, genus and family are those of
the cat tribe (1'clis) to which belong
Lions Tigers, Leopards, Juagars and
so on. The Wild Cat belongs to this
family. The species, concolor, is from
the Latin, cum (softened into cun)
with or together, and color, meaning
color as in English, the whole siEni-
flying an animal in which the colors
have run together, or become one.
This is true ofsthe upper part Of the
Puma; the under :partssare white. The
ridge along thes.back Is blackish and
the tip Of the tail is more so. a full
grown animal sometimes. weighs 200
pounds. The body is about five and
one-half feet long; the tail three feet.
The young are iusualIy spotted until
three years old d;and much older specl-
mems have Shown the spots. From this
fact the panther OF colonial times
was said to be spotted. Once they were
numerous in tha south.
Has Wide Range.
The animal Fanges from Alaska to
Patagonia, having the most extensive
range of any animal Of the cat tribe in
the world and 4srhaps exceeded by no
other animal of-any family. There are
many local names, such as painter,
"catamount," mountain lion, cougar,
the last being Of Mexican origin.
Puma is the Peruvian name and as
Peru is about the centre Of the animarS
range, and likewise the centre of it's
abundance, the authorities have settled
m Pima as a final name,
AS q general propositi4n. the Puma
is harmless to man and gwen friendly,
under normal circumstances. In carly
times persons na!sSilave iseen attacked
by pumas, although John>sames Audu-
bon said he had travelled more than
thousand miles to verify instances
where this was said to have occurred,
without finding an instance susceptl-
bic Of even reasonable proof. They
follow people but probably from no
other motive than curiosity, just as
an o'possum or q raccoon Will some
times do. a..
In the lower Argentine, in what used
to be called Patagonia, especially
around Lake Belgrano, there is
species Of Puma. known. as Pearson S
Puma Up. pearsonD, (which has IRE
quently attacked people. This has
been verified by DR.. Francis p. Moreno,
who lost Il man by a Puma and who
was himself attacked by one.
So far as known this is the only
species that has this habit, and the fact
may he explained by. the wildness or
the country: Punas there knowing no
man except the Tchuelchc Indians,
who fear them. -:
Practically All Gone From South.
Within twenty years three or four
Pumas have been killed in Georgia;
few remain in Florida and perhaps
some may yet be found in the swamps
of the Mississippi. Tales of them exist
in the Blue Ridge and in the Allegheny
mountains, but probably the Puma has
altoSether departed, leaving the ira :
ditiun hrhind him. AZ any rate th"y
arc exceedingly rare anywhere in The
statcs east OF the Mississippi river
Although, us stated. the Puma is
harmless to man, it IS very destructive
to livestock, horses, COWS, sheep an"
hogs For this reason they have bceA
rcmorselessly hunted and shot out, or
caught out. 4 In many cases they nave
been poisoned.
1t is not beyond the bounds OF PROB
ability that some Puma has wandered
out Of his range and come into SoutA
Carolina. Should an animal follow the
course Of the Savannah river upwara
into the mountains, he might quit the
river coming back, and thus get con-
fused in Il strange, well settled couN-
try, where for u time he could >hide
and do damage to stock and cattle;
but this would not last long. CiVll!%a-
ton falls quickly on such ma!ludefs
and makes an end OF them.
Leaves Trail Of Destruction.
Such u probability is remote. how
ever. and one might just as welt look
for IN animal from the Rocky Noun
tains. Such Il beast leaves too broad Il
trail of destruction and fast as he ia'
the telegraph and the telephone are
faster.
The Puma progresses by long flying
leaps, very much like the deer he
pursues and is a swift animal, one Of
the swiftest in our fauna, Tor sHo!l
distances. He is not lon2-wlrded ana
a good pack Of hounds Will send tae
fastest Puma 10 q tree III any ordinary
country. On the steep slopes OF the
Rockies, with gaunt and forblddinG
CANYONS, the Puma SUmct!mcs gets cl-
tire.y away from the hounds. lie VIII
always run from pack OF dogs. ana
sometimes evCnHtakc u trC4 from
small terrier.
Audubon puts the average weight at
$50 pounds, but their Weights vary
within q wide range, owing TO age
condition and so on.
Nobody could possibly mistake
Pumas tracks for those Of u Wild Cat.
\ Puma could easily trot off with a
Wild Cat in his mouth and not feel inc