been thus killed. It is asserted that the puma always kills its prey by
springing on the shoulders, and then drawing back the head with one of
its paws, until the vertebrae break: I have seen in Patagonia the
skeletons of guanacos, with their necks thus dislocated.
The puma, after eating its fill, covers the carcass with many large
bushes, and lies down to watch it. This habit is often the cause of
its being discovered; for the condors wheeling in the air every now and
then descend to partake of the feast, and being angrily driven away,
rise all together on the wing. The Chileno Guaso then knows there is a
lion watching his prey--the word is given--and men and dogs hurry to
the chase. Sir F. Head says that a Gaucho in the pampas, upon merely
seeing some condors wheeling in the air, cried "A lion!" I could never
myself meet with any one who pretended to such powers of
discrimination. It is asserted that, if a puma has once been betrayed
by thus watching the carcass, and has then been hunted, it never
resumes this habit; but that, having gorged itself, it wanders far
away. The puma is easily killed. In an open country, it is first
entangled with the bolas, then lazoed, and dragged along the ground
till rendered insensible. At Tandeel (south of the plata), I was told
that within three months one hundred were thus destroyed. In Chile
they are generally driven up bushes or trees, and are then either shot,
or baited to death by dogs. The dogs employed in this chase belong to
a particular breed, called Leoneros: they are weak, slight animals,
like long-legged terriers, but are born with a particular instinct for
this sport. The puma is described as being very crafty: when pursued,
it often returns on its former track, and then suddenly making a spring
on one side, waits there till the dogs have passed by. It is a very
silent animal, uttering no cry even when wounded, and only rarely
during the breeding season.
Of birds, two species of the genus Pteroptochos (megapodius and
albicollis of Kittlitz) are perhaps the most conspicuous. The former,
called by the Chilenos "el Turco," is as large as a fieldfare, to which
bird it has some alliance; but its legs are much longer, tail shorter,
and beak stronger: its colour is a reddish brown. The Turco is not
uncommon. It lives on the ground, sheltered among the thickets which
are scattered over the dry and sterile hills. With its tail erect, and
stilt-like legs, it may be seen every now and then popping from one
bush to another with uncommon quickness. It really requires little
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