The New York herald., 1922-03-03
The Mountain Lions Scream
Hair Raising Cries Heard by Night
in the California Hills.

To The NEW York HERALD: 1t was
with interested surprise that / read In
.sn editorial article in your paper that
there are scientific men who have doubts
as TO the cry of the mountain lion. l am
no partisan defender of the novelists
who, It seems, thrillingly have mentioned
this hair raising yell of the giant
pantherlike creature Of the Western
mountains. My personal knowledge OF
mountain lions and their cries antedates
by many years any of these novels of
Western romance and adventure.
Mountain lions were dreaded pest on
my fathers mountain ranch in California
when / was a very little hoy. and espe-
cially during the two years that we had
a band of about 400 Angora goats and
their seasonal kids as an experiment
In raising fleece for what that early
promised to produce sort OF Persian
shawl industry. l recall vividly my
fathers graphic description OF the leap
OF the lion upon kid outside the corral
one night just as my father hred a
charge OF buckshot. The leaden pellets
must have struck the huge animal in its
flight, because ii instantly turned from
the kid and with terrible Shrek OF
anger and pain tore at. its own flank.
and then, to my fathers great relief,
departed into the shadowy darkness OF
tho nearby mountainside.
When l was a youngster or II | was
out hunting one day till long after night
fall | was traversing mountainside
road that was closely skirted by thick
underbush, when suddenly was startled
bv the unmistakable aud terrifying cry
OF a. mountain lion seemingly within
few rods to the rear. At the sound my
younger brother rushed close and clung
10 me. we walked on. / with both
hammers OF the muzzle loader up ana
anxiously and repeatedly peeTing back
into the dense darkness hoping TO shoot
one barrel OF the small number eight
quail shot right into the animals eyes
as soon as might see them and trusting
to the other barrel to save us by binding
hin, completely. For about 200 yards that
trailing continued with four or flve rep
etitions of that awful cry. and then We
emerged into the open and the moon
light. and the cries were not repeated
nor was the animal seen.
have seen too man. mountain Hons
and know that Western country too
well 10 suppose that there is any other
big or any l,ttle animal in those parts
capable of making any such sound.
As lately as twelve years ago heard
unnistakable cries of a mountain Hon
one night up In the sierra OF the deeply
rayined Yuba River country during a
drive between midnight and 4 A. NJ. over
dangerous roads. And when we finally
reached the livery stable at the famous
old mining town OF Nevada City and the
browsing office watcher came out with
his lantern we saw stretched out on the
entrance floor a large mountain lion that
some men fortunately had seen in broad
daylight on the very road we had just
trayersed and had been able to get q
bead on with a rife.
This old stage driver Of six horse days
and wild rides pointed out to me one
dsv the spot and the peculiar surround
ms where mountain lion suddenly
rushed and leapcd upon the shoulders
ina wlthcrs OF running doe, striking
with claws and Jaws and bearing the