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Show 1 Mountain Lion Is a Sneak and Rank Coward Tou hate to call the,. American lion "American" he's. such a mean, sneaking, cowardly, treacherous wrotch that you prefer to dosignate him as tho mountain lion and forget he's a fellow-countryman. I The true sportsman "still" hunts, but there's little uso in still hunting the American Hon because he himself Is a still hunter without a human rival. He lives in the densest part of donse forests. Even when there's no enemy within smelling distance he keeps to thickets and travels in them in preference to open spaces. L.lon hunts In tho Rockies are, therefore, with dogs, the bigger and more savage the better. Dogs that shy at a wolf I scent will take after mountain lion with great enthusiasm. I ' The mountain lions is tho greatest) enemy of game animals In America except the conscienceless butcher hunter. Ilia choicest bit of flesh is sfoM doer meat, and whilo ho won't attack ffH a bull moose or bull, elk, he proy on (r tho cows and particularly the young. J Ho doesn't fancy wolf meat, but when IH hungry and if a good chance presents 1 Itself, ho'll Jump a timber wolf for IH food. Ho rarely attacks humans, but I IH his tracks have boen found following 1 hunters for long distances; ho had the I blood-luot, but was afraid to tackle the j VM man. Grizzly bears hate him like pol- son' and will rond him to ribbons if L tM thoy corner him, which Is raro. But ho won't lackfo anything open- ly not evon a woods-mouso. Ho lies jH in ambush and springs out on the vie- IH tlm with two or throe tremendous. IH noiseless jumps. On the weaker anl-mals anl-mals ho may use his teeth as tho weapon, but usually he tries to break the neck with a blow of his paw, and jH he uses his razor-like claws effective- Western ranchmen trap and poison the mountain lion in considerable jH numbers, but lots of them still roam the foothills of the Rockies. When nfll they get Into a shccpfold, they are not rjl content with one sheep, but may kill ( a hundred in a few minutes, Thoy arc B arc silent, noiseless beast, but, at sea-sons, sea-sons, give voice to piercing, torrifying screams. Mountain lion kittens are born one to throe at a time, In caves or dense brush, and at first are cov- HH crcd with black spots and stripes and have ringed tails. As they mature the W markings disappear. The malo will kill tho male kittens if he gets a chance, and the mother often has desperate des-perate fights with him In consequence. oo |