. A System of natural history : containing scientifci [sic] and popular descriptions of man, quadrupeds, birds, fishes, reptiles and insects . y. If we imagine, therefore, a lion stealing through a covert of wood in animperfect light, we shall at once see the use of these long hairs. They in-dicate to him, through the nicest feeling, any obstacle which may presentitself to the passage of his body ; they prevent the rustle of boughs andleaves, which would give warning to his prey if he were to attempt to passthrough too close a bush ; — and thus, in conjunction with the soft cushionsof his feet
. A System of natural history : containing scientifci [sic] and popular descriptions of man, quadrupeds, birds, fishes, reptiles and insects . y. If we imagine, therefore, a lion stealing through a covert of wood in animperfect light, we shall at once see the use of these long hairs. They in-dicate to him, through the nicest feeling, any obstacle which may presentitself to the passage of his body ; they prevent the rustle of boughs andleaves, which would give warning to his prey if he were to attempt to passthrough too close a bush ; — and thus, in conjunction with the soft cushionsof his feet, they enable him to move towards his victim with a stillnessgreater even than that of the snake, who creeps along the grass, and is notperceived till he has coiled round his prey. * The size of the larjTix is proportionate to the stiens^th of the sounds which ani-mals utter. The absolute size ot the larynx of the whale and the elephant is thelargest; but relatively the larynx of the lion has a still greater circumference.—Notes toBlumenbachs Comp. Anatomy, by Lawrence and Coulson, 1827. 176 MAMMALIA —COUGAR. THE PUMA, OR The puma, cougar-, or American lion, is from four to five feet long, butuiore commonly of the former size, and has a tail of half that length, whichhas not, like that of the lion, a terminating brush of hair; neither has thepuma a mane. Indeed, his name of lion could only have been given to himby careless or unscientific observers, as his uniform sameness of color is thesol« point of resemblance which he has to the king of beasts. He has asmall rounded head, a broad and rather obtuse muzzle, and a body which,in proportion, is slender and less elevated than that of his more dignifiednamesake. The upper parts of his body, says Mr Bennett, are of abright silvery fawn, the tawny hairs being terminated by whitish tips: be-neath and on the inside of the limbs he is nearly white, and more com-pletely so on the throat, chin, and upper lip. The head ha
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