THE PUMA.[21]
The Puma, or “South American Lion,” is the second great American Carnivore. It occurs far more widely spread in the continent than the Jaguar, ranging from the cold regions of the Strait of Magellan up to 50° or 60° north latitude. In appearance it is not unlike a small Lioness, having a tint somewhat similar to the characteristic tawny colour of the monarch of Africa, but darker, greyer, and less rich; the mane, too, is absent. Its head is proportionally, as well as absolutely, much smaller than that of the Lion; its face is rounder, and it is altogether a much smaller beast: its average size being about thirty-nine or forty inches from the snout to the root of the thick, strong tail, the latter again being some twenty-five or twenty-six inches long, and the height about the same. Indistinct spots occur, as in the Lion, on the belly and the inside of the legs. The hind-quarters are very large, and are kept higher than the shoulders in walking. The skin beneath the belly is remarkably loose and pendulous.
Unlike the Jaguar, the Puma avoids water, although well able to swim when necessary. It is as much at home in trees as on solid ground, and is a terror to the Capuchin and other Monkeys which abound in the forests of South America. It is, however, a far more cowardly animal than the Jaguar, and is not feared by the natives to anything like the same degree. Mr. Darwin, who had ample opportunity of observing its habits, writes thus of it in his “Naturalist’s Voyage”:—
“This animal has a wide geographical range, being found from the equatorial forests, throughout the deserts of Patagonia, as far south as the damp and cold latitudes (53° to 54°) of Tierra del Fuego. I have seen its footsteps in the Cordillera of Central Chili, at an elevation of at least 10,000 feet. In La Plata the Puma preys chiefly on Deer, Ostriches, Bizcacha, and other quadrupeds. It there rarely attacks cattle or Horses, and most rarely man. In Chili, however, it destroys other quadrupeds. I heard, likewise, of two men and a woman who had been thus killed. It is asserted that the Puma always kills its prey by springing on the shoulders, and then drawing back the head with one of its paws until the vertebræ break. I have seen, in Patagonia, the skeletons of Guanacos, with their necks thus dislocated.
“The Puma, after eating its fill, covers the carcass with many large bushes, and lies down to watch it. This habit is often the cause of its being discovered; for the Condors, wheeling in the air, every now and then descend to partake of the feast; and being angrily driven away, rise all together on the wing. The Chileno Guaso then knows there is a Lion [Puma] watching his prey; the word is given, and men and Dogs hurry to the chase. Sir F. Head says that a Gaucho in the Pampas, upon merely seeing some Condors wheeling in the air, cried, ‘A Lion!’ I could never myself meet with any one who pretended to such powers of discrimination. It is asserted that if a Puma has once been betrayed by thus watching a carcass, and has then been hunted, it never resumes this habit, but that having gorged itself, it wanders far away. The Puma is easily killed. In an open country it is first entangled with the bolas,[22]then lazoed, and dragged along the ground till rendered insensible. At Tandil (south of the Plata), I was told that within three months one hundred were thus destroyed. In Chili they are generally driven up bushes or trees, and are then either shot or baited to death by Dogs. The Dogs employed in this chase belong to a particular breed, called ‘Leoneros.’ They are weak, slight animals, like long-legged Terriers, but are born with a peculiar instinct for this sport. The Puma is described as being very crafty. When pursued it often returns on its former track, and then suddenly making a spring on one side, waits there till the Dogs have passed by. It is a very silent animal, uttering no cry even when wounded, and only rarely during the breeding season.”
The comparative silence of the Puma is very noticeable in the specimens at the Zoological Gardens. They never roar like other large Cats, never, in fact, getting beyond a sort of hoarse grunt; but when angry, they spit and “swear” in precisely the same manner as furious Tom Cats. In this respect they differ very markedly from the Lion and Tiger, and agree with the lesser Cats, such as the Ocelot, Serval, Lynx, &c.
The flesh of the Puma is often eaten by the Gauchos. Mr. Darwin, who tried it, pronounced it to be very white, and to taste remarkably like veal. This is a curious circumstance, as the flesh of most Carnivora is anything but palatable. While speaking of the Leopard, we mentioned its curious habit ofsquattinginstead oflyingdown to eat, and of only occasionally touching its food with its paws. With the Puma this is still more remarkable; it squats in the same manner as the Leopard, but, although we have watched it many times, we never once saw it use its paws to assist in holding its food. However difficult of manipulation the bone may be, however it may slip about and object to be crunched, it never seems to occur to the animal that he might use his paws to steady it.
In captivity, the Puma, at any rate when caught young, is a tolerably docile animal, and, like the Domestic Cat, is fond of playing with inanimate objects; the Pumas at the Zoological Gardens, for instance, have a large wooden ball as a toy. They do not, however, appear to be always perfectly amiable; the female may often be seen swearing at her lord in a most reprehensible manner.
SNOW LEOPARD, OR OUNCE.(From the Living Specimen in the Zoological Gardens, London.)❏LARGER IMAGE
SNOW LEOPARD, OR OUNCE.(From the Living Specimen in the Zoological Gardens, London.)
❏LARGER IMAGE