The Screech of the Panther.
Some time ago, a writer to the H-T-T, whose name I have forgotten,
gave his views in regard to this subject, and requested that the
readers give their experiences and ideas on the matter. A year or so
ago, I wrote to a sporting magazine (now defunct) giving my views on
this horrible screech of the panther.
I have camped in the wilds of California, Oregon, Idaho and
Washington. Sixty years ago, in my childhood days, it was an everyday
occurrence to hear some one tell of having a panther follow them
through a certain piece of woods, and tell of the horrible screams
that the panther gave while following them. And still to this day,
there is, occasionally a person who reports of hearing that terrible
screech of the panther here in old Potter, notwithstanding that there
has not been a panther killed in the county for upwards of fifty
years, though twice within fifty years, I have been frightened nearly
out of my boots by that terrible screech.
On one occasion I was watching a salt lick for deer; I was on a
scaffold built up in a tree thirty or forty feet from the ground. The
lick was in a dense hemlock forest. It was well along into the
night--I was listening with all my energy, expecting to hear the tread of a
deer, but, so far I had heard nothing but the rustle of the porcupine
and the hop of the deer-mouse and the jump of the rabbit on the dry
leaves. Still, I was listening intently for that tread of a deer
which sounds different from that of any other animal, when, with the
suddenness of a flash of lightning that terrible screech of the
panther came within six feet of my head.
Was I frightened? I guess yes. And had not my gun been tied to a limb
of the tree to keep it in place it would have gone tumbling down the
tree to the ground.
Glancing up in the direction from whence that terrible scream came, I
could plainly see the outline of a screech owl.
On another occasion I had started about midnight from home to go to
my hunting camp. About five miles of the distance was along a road
with heavy timber on each side. The night was warm for the time of
the year, with a slight mist of rain. I was hustling along the best I
could to reach camp by the time it was daylight. I had my rifle and a
pack-sack with a grub stake to last for a week, on my back. When
again, with great suddenness that terrible screech of the panther
sounded in the trees over my head. The screech was so sudden and so
sharp that I came near dropping right through to China. After
recovering my breath and gazing into the timber for a moment, I again
discovered one of those frightful owls.
Every close observer, who has put in a great deal of time in the
woods in the night, away from a fire and noise, knows that an owl
will alight within a few feet of them, and they will not be aware of
the presence of the owl when it approaches them. This noiseless
movement of the owl is said to be from the large amount of down that
grows on the wings of the bird.
As I stated, I have camped in several states west of the Rockies, and
have from childhood until late years almost continually been in the
woods, and the only screech of the panther I ever heard came from the
owl.
My father moved from Washington County, York State, into this county
about a hundred years ago, when northern Pennsylvania was an unbroken
wilderness, and the few settlers who lived in these parts were
compelled to go sixty miles to Jersey Shore to mill. This trip was
made down Pine Creek, and usually with an ox team, and those who made
the trip were obliged to camp out every night while making the trip
for there were no settlers living along the whole route. The road was
merely a trail cut through the woods.
Father often made this trip down Pine Creek to Jersey Shore, camping
out each night. I have often heard him say that he never head any
kind of a noise that he thought came from a panther--and panthers
were plentiful in this section in those days. Father laughed at the
idea of the panther screaming, when he heard people telling of
hearing them.
However, regardless of what my father and other early settlers of
this section, who were not possessed of strong imaginary minds have
told me, as well as my own experience, I have evidence that the
panther does scream and scream terribly, too.
A neighbor of mine, by the name of Mr. Mike Green, a man about fifty
years old, after reading the article which I mentioned at the
beginning, came to me and said that I was away off in regard to the
panther not screaming. He told of two occasions where he had had
adventures with panthers and they screamed fearfully. One of Mr.
Green's adventures happened in Clearfield County, this state, the
other in West Virginia.
Mr. Green stated that he was driving a team, hauling supplies for a
lumber camp, when on two occasions he was out on the road until late
at night with his load of supplies some of which consisted of several
quarters of fresh beef. He heard the panther scream out in the woods
and narrowly escaped the panther by whipping the team and driving
rapidly into camp, the panther following him, screaming at every
jump.
A few nights later the panther again attacked Mr. Green near camp. He
heard it scream and again made haste to reach the camp. When near
camp the panther made several attempts to leap onto the wagon, but
owing to Mr. Green's rapid driving the panther failed to reach the
load.
Later, Mr. Green was lumbering in West Virginia. The teamster who was
hauling camp supplies the same as Mr. Green had in Clearfield County,
was killed by a panther. Mr. Green heard the panther scream and when
the teamster did not come, he with others from the camp went in
search of the man, and found him dead. The men in camp made up a
purse to pay the burial expenses, Mr. Green contributing to the fund.
I have often been going along the road at dusk through the woods and
had an owl follow along for some distance, flying from tree to tree,
alighting on trees near me, and would often give one of those
screeches, which no doubt has often been mistaken for the scream of a
panther, when this trick of the owl occurred when too dark to be
seen.
* * *
The screech of the panther I believe to be all imagination. Years ago
it was an everyday occurrence to hear some one tell of a panther
screaming in a certain locality and tell how it (the panther) had
followed them and how they escaped by running their horses, and how
the panther screamed in a tree right over their head, and how they
could see the panther's eyes shine.
Now I know that one cannot see an animal's eyes shine unless the
animal is in the dark and a light shines directly in their eyes.
It is not always these stories are told to misrepresent facts, but it
is often the case of imagination or being mistaken. One of the large
owls has another cry or call besides the well known hoo-hoo-hoo,
which the deer still-hunter often imitates when he wishes to inform a
companion just where he is without fear of alarming the deer. The
writer has often seen, just at twilight, or nearly break of day, one
of those large owls follow along some distance in the woods, flying
from tree to tree, lighting on the lower branches of the trees, only
a few feet above my head, apparently doing this from curiosity.
Frequently the owl would give a screech which was similar to that
given by a woman who has been suddenly frightened. Undoubtedly this
screech of the owl has often been taken for that of the panther.
Owing to the great abundance of down or fine feathers on the quills
of the wings of the owl, the owl can light within six feet of a
person's head, and if the owl was not seen, you would not know of its
presence, for you could not hear the flight of the owl.
While I have not had as much experience in the haunts of the panther
as some, yet I have been all through the Pacific Coast States and a
good part of the mountains, and have never heard what I thought was
the cry of a panther, or a mountain lion.
My father often told me that he had never heard anything that he
called a screech of panther and did not think that a panther ever
made any such screeching noise as is claimed, yet in my younger days
it was a frequent occurrence to hear some one tell of hearing a
panther and how a panther had followed them through a certain piece
of woods. Even to this day we occasionally hear of some one being
followed by a panther and how they had heard a panther screeching on
a certain hill.