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 of squatting instead of lying down 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.)

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THE OUNCE.[23]

The Ounce, or “Snow Leopard,” as it is commonly called by sportsmen in the hills, is found throughout the Himalayas at a great elevation, never very much below the snows, at ranges varying with the season from 9,000 to 18,000 feet. It is said to be more common on the Tibetan side of the Himalayas; it is found also throughout the highland region of Central Asia, and extends as far west as Smyrna.

OUNCE.