Evening star., 1934-12-09
Continued From Fifth Page.

lives well on Tie colLS, lamDS and kids which
ne Kills as wanton marauder Before the
time Of Ben Lilly, it was practically impossible
to raise colts or sheep on the open range in
the rough, rocky and rugged country west of
the Tooth meridian which forms an ideal habi-
tat for the mountin lion. Lilly was a master
at snuffng out the cougars while the other
249 members of the Federal hunting army have
also worked effectively.
Ben Lilly has at various times made reports
to your Uncle Sam regarding the American
mountain lion. For example, he told about
trailing certain lion for IL hours one night,
during which the lion covered 80 miles without
resting before the hunter felled the beast with
a well-aimed shot. 1t is usually muscle-test-
ing grind this business of sleuthing the lions as
they roam the rougher and more inaccessible
canyons in hunting for prey. Such locations
are also their favorite habitats, where they can
live and breed in peace and tranquility until
the Government hunters appear and mar their
family happiness by decreasing their numbers.
The panther according to Lilly resembles
the bObcat in relying upon its senses Of smell
and sight in much of its foraging. Its smell
is keener than that of the bobcat, though
less than that of either the wolf or coyote.
II can see its prey for a long distance, but
does much of its silent, cautious stalking by
sense of smell taking advantage of every cover
until within striking distance OF the victim
The panther's sense of hearing also is very
acute In making kill, the cougar brings its
victim TO the ground with the stunning i'm
pact of its entire weight and generally attacks
at the throat and breast
Mr. Lilly capitalized on the food habits Of
the lion in increasing his remarkable string
of sclaps. Usually the beast enjoys its fill
of the prey and then buries what remains
under leaves, litter and trash as cache Of
future meals. Weather conditions and the
abundance or scarcity of game elsewhere deter
mine whether the panther will return to that
spot Frequently more than one lion feeds
on a single carcass. Lilly once told of certain
honess that killed zoe sheep one night. and
also how he despatched nine parent lions and
. their young as fast he could shoot one
evening when he found them banqueting on the
carcass of a freshly killed steer.
The hunter who treasures his dogs must
keep up with the pack in trailing mountain
lions, as some Of these beasts will fight vim
dictively when at bay instead Of seeking tenn
porary respite in trees. Using teeth and claws,
backed by powerful neck and shoulder muscles
in telling style, the c0rnered panther SOme-
times kills all the dogs in a pack where the
hunter Is far behind.
N/HEN Ben Lilly arrived in new hon
w country, he first of all familiarized him.
self with the routes used by the beasts Then
he would wait at some strategic point where
the route narrowed where two routes inter-
another. Many of these watch stations were
in the low saddles of divides. The crossings
are easily recognizable by the from to IL
scratch hills where the lions usually stop
for few minutes. Each scratch hill ordinarily
is from to 4 inches high and to inches
in diameter.
Where Lilly set traps around the carcasses
Of dead prey in efforts to snare lions, he
invariably employed oil of catnip a lure.
usually putting few drops in the middle Of
scratch hill near the traps. Science does not
know exactly why catnip is SO attractive to
members of the feline family. 1t has sooth-
ing effect on the nervous system however,
somewhat similar to the influence of opiates
on the human family. Leading circus trainers
for generations have used catnip on the cat
family. u
The champion lion hunter customarily mixed
40 drops of oil of catnip with 2 ounces
Of pure petrolatum and smeared some Of 1t
on q piece of cotton batting about inches
square. Then he placed a second layer Of
cotton over the first to form q sandwich, which
was next placed on a brown pie tin. Lilly
would blaze a tree some feet above the ground
SO that the sap would run. Then he would
nail the tin plate over the blaZed spot with
the cotton sandwich against the wound. The
sap flow kept the cotton moist, while shingle
nail holes in the bottom Of the tin permitted
the catnip scent to escape slowly Lions even
visited these scent stations or 10 months
after the lures were placed. indicating the
extreme attractiveness of that bait. The scents
were placed along creeks, and close to deer
trails, where mountain lions travel.
Lilly knows the American cougars so well
that he is even able to tell exactly where a
certain lion or family Of lions will be at a
given hour Of the day night. He can
describe in detail just how the lions will act
when they first sight q hunter. He knows
the species in general and individual lions