This animal, which belongs to North and South America, passes under the
various titles of _cougar_, _puma_, and _panther_. The latter is its
most common designation. It is about the size of the European panther,
but is of a uniform reddish-brown color. It was once common throughout
the United States, but it has retired from the more thickly-settled
portions to the remote forests of the country. It generally flies from
man, but occasions have frequently occurred in which persons have
fallen victims to its rage or rapacity.
_Fatal Sport._--Some years since, two hunters, accompanied by two dogs,
went out in quest of game near the Catskill Mountains. At the foot of a
large hill, they agreed to go round it in opposite directions, and,
when either discharged his rifle, the other was to hasten towards him
to aid in securing the game. Soon after parting, the report of a rifle
was heard by one of them, who, hastening towards the spot, after some
search, found nothing but the dog, dreadfully lacerated, and dead. He
now became much alarmed for the fate of his companion, and, while
anxiously looking around, was horror-struck by the harsh growl of a
cougar, which he perceived on a large limb of a tree, crouching upon
the body of his friend, and apparently meditating an attack on himself.
Instantly he levelled his rifle at the beast, and was so fortunate as
to wound it mortally, when it fell to the ground along with the body of
his slaughtered companion. His dog then rushed upon the wounded cougar,
which, with one blow of its paw, laid the poor animal dead by its side.
The surviving hunter now left the spot, and quickly returned, with
several other persons, when they found the lifeless cougar extended
near the dead bodies of the hunter and the faithful dogs.
_Terrible Revenge._--The following account is furnished by a
correspondent of the "Cabinet of Natural History:" "It was on as
beautiful an autumnal day as ever ushered in the Indian summer, that I
made an excursion after game among a group of mountains, or rather on a
link in the great chain of the Alleghany range, which runs in a
north-eastern direction in that part of Pennsylvania which bounds the
New York line.
"I had kept the summit of the mountains for several miles, without
success, for a breeze had arisen shortly after sunrise, which rattled
through the trees, and made it unfavorable for hunting on dry ground;
and indeed the only wild animal I saw was a bear, that was feeding on
another ridge across a deep valley, and entirely out of reach of my
rifle-shot. I therefore descended the mountain in an oblique direction,
towards the salt springs, which I soon reached, and, after finding
others had preceded me here, I left the spot for another mountain, on
which I intended to pass the remainder of the day, gradually working my
way home. This mountain was covered with chestnut-trees; and here it
was that I caught a glimpse of the bear from the other ridge, and found
he had disappeared but a short time previous to my arrival on this
mountain. I followed his track for three miles, for chestnuts lay in
abundance on the ground, and bears, like hogs, root up the leaves in
search of food beneath; and it no doubt had lingered about here eating
its meal until my near approach gave warning of its danger. This I
could discover, as, the leaves having been wet by the melted frost on
the top, a path could be traced where the bear, in running, had turned
the dried part of the leaves uppermost. I quickened my pace along the
mountainside and around the turn of the mountain, with the hopes of
surprising the bear; and, after a rapid chase for the distance above
mentioned, all proved fruitless, and I relinquished further pursuit.
Warm with this exercise, and somewhat fatigued, I descended the
mountain-side, and took my seat beside a stream of water which gently
washed the base of the mountain, and emptied itself into the head of
the waters of the Susquehannah.
"I had remained, sitting on a fallen tree, whose branches extended
considerably into the water, for, perhaps, an hour and a half, when, of
a sudden, I heard a rustling among the leaves on the mountain
immediately above my head, which, at first, was so distant that I
thought it merely an eddy in the wind, whirling the leaves from the
ground; but it increased so rapidly, and approached so near the spot
where I sat, that instinctively I seized my rifle, ready in a moment to
meet any emergency which might offer.
"That part of the mountain where I was seated was covered with laurel
and other bushes, and, owing to the density of this shrubbery, I could
not discover an object more than ten yards from me; this, as will
afterwards appear, afforded me protection; at any rate, it conduced to
my success. The noise among the leaves now became tremendous, and the
object approached so near, that I distinctly heard an unnatural
grunting noise, as if from some animal in great distress. At length, a
sudden plunge into the water, not more than twenty yards from me,
uncovered to my view a full-grown black bear, intent upon nothing but
its endeavors to press through the water and reach the opposite shore.
The water, on an average, was not more than two feet deep, which was
not sufficient for the animal to swim, and too deep to run through;
consequently, the eagerness with which the bear pressed through the
water created such a splashing noise as fairly echoed through the
hills. With scarcely a thought, I brought my rifle to my shoulder with
the intention of shooting; but, before I could sight it correctly, the
bear rushed behind a rock which shielded it from my view. This gave me
a momentary season for reflection; and, although I could have killed
the bear so soon as it had passed the rock, I determined to await the
result of such extraordinary conduct in this animal; for I was
wonder-struck at actions which were not only strange, but even
ludicrous,--there not appearing then any cause for them. The mystery,
however, was soon unravelled.
"The stream of water was not more than ten rods in width; and before
the bear was two thirds across it, I heard another rustling, on the
mountain-side, among the leaves, as if by jumps, and a second plunge
into the water convinced me that the bear had good cause for its
precipitation; for here, pressing hard at its heels, was a formidable
antagonist in an enormous panther, which pursued the bear with such
determined inveteracy and appalling growls, as made me shudder as with
a chill.
"The panther plunged into the water not more than eighteen or twenty
yards from me; and, had it been but one third of that distance, I feel
convinced I should have been unheeded by this animal, so intent was it
on the destruction of the bear. It must indeed be an extraordinary case
which will make a panther plunge into water, as it is a great
characteristic of the feline species always to avoid water, unless
driven to it either by necessity or desperation; but here nature was
set aside, and some powerful motive predominated in the passions of
this animal, which put all laws of instinct at defiance, and, unlike
the clumsy bustling of the bear through the water, the panther went
with bounds of ten feet at a time, and, ere the former reached the
opposite shore, the latter was midway of the stream. This was a moment
of thrilling interest; and that feeling so common to the human breast,
when the strong is combating with the weak, now took possession of
mine, and, espousing the cause of the weaker party, abstractedly from
every consideration which was in the wrong, I could not help wishing
safety to the bear and death to the panther. Under the impulse of these
feelings, I once more brought my rifle to my shoulder, with the
intention of shooting the panther through the heart; but, in spite of
myself, I shrank from the effort. Perhaps it was well I reserved my
fire; for, had I only wounded the animal, I might have been a victim to
its ferocity.
"So soon as the bear found there was no possibility of escape from an
issue with so dreadful an enemy, on reaching the opposite bank of the
stream, it shook the water from its hair like a dog, ran about fifteen
feet on the bank, and lay directly on its back in a defensive posture.
This it had scarcely done, when the panther reached the water's edge,
and then, with a yell of vengeance, it made one bound, and sprang, with
outstretched claws, and spitting like a cat, immediately on the bear,
which lay in terror on the ground, ready to receive its antagonist; but
the contest was soon at an end. Not more easily does the eagle rend in
sunder its terror-stricken prey, than did the enraged panther tear in
scattered fragments the helpless bear. It appeared but the work of a
moment, and that moment was one of unrelenting vengeance; for no sooner
did the panther alight on its victim, than, with the most ferocious
yells, it planted its hinder claws deep in the entrails of the bear,
and, by a few rips, tore its antagonist in pieces. Although the bear
was full grown, it must have been young, and deficient in energy; for
it was so overcome with dread as not to be able to make the least
resistance.
"Satisfied with glutting its vengeance, the panther turned from the
bear, and came directly to the water's edge to drink, and allay the
parching thirst created by so great excitement; after which, it looked
down and then up the stream, as though it sought a place to cross, that
it might avoid the water; then, as if satisfied with revenge, and
enjoying its victory, stood twisting and curling its tail like a cat,
and then commenced licking itself dry.
"The animal was now within thirty-five yards of me; and seeing no
prospect of its recrossing the stream, I took rest for my rifle on a
projecting limb of the tree on which I still sat, and fired directly at
the panther's heart. The moment I discharged my rifle, the monster made
a spring about six feet perpendicular, with a tremendous growl, which
reverberated among the rocks; fell in the same spot whence it sprang,
with its legs extended; and lay in this situation, half crouched,
rocking from side to side, as if in the dizziness of approaching death.
I saw plainly that my fire was fatal; but I had too much experience to
approach this enemy until I could no longer discover signs of life. I
therefore reloaded my rifle, and with a second shot I pierced
immediately behind the ear. Its head then dropped between its paws, and
all was quiet.
"On examining the panther, no marks of violence appeared, except where
my rifle balls had passed completely through, within a foot of each
other: but on turning the animal on its back, I discovered it to be a
female, and a mother, who, by the enlargement of her teats, had
evidently been suckling her young. From this circumstance, I supposed
the bear had made inroads on her lair, and probably had destroyed her
kittens. I was the more convinced of this from the fact, that I never
knew, from my own experience, nor could I learn from the oldest hunters
of my acquaintance, an instance wherein a bear and a panther engaged in
combat; and again, no circumstance but the above would be sufficient to
awaken that vindictive perseverance, in the passions of a panther,
which would lead to the annihilation of so formidable an animal as a
bear."