The Jaguar 177 



premature to limit the possibility of their induction to 

 human beings. 



Apart from this matter, concerning which there is no 

 certainty, it is a fact that the brutes in question take their 

 prey mostly on the surface of the ground, to some ex- 

 tent in water, and likewise among the limbs of trees. 

 They are indiscriminate feeders, and besides all species of 

 land animals that inhabit their range, both wild and 

 domesticated, they destroy vast numbers of turtles and 

 their eggs, lizards, fish, shell-covered species, and even in- 

 sects. So long as anything has blood, whether red or white, 

 in its body, it does not come amiss to what Wood calls "the 

 jaguar's ravenous appetite." This trait makes him very 

 destructive, and in some places domestic animals have 

 been extirpated. 



The jaguar, although he principally subsists upon game, 

 hunts men also, as might be anticipated both from his 

 size, strength, and family traits. An almost unarmed 

 Indian of these regions is no match for a brute like this, 

 even when provided with the blow-gun used in those 

 latitudes. 



Being as lazy as a lion, and from his usually abundant 

 supplies, generally in good condition, the jaguar most 

 commonly ambushes prey. Not always, however, for 

 T. P. Bigg-Wither reports that they have been known to 

 follow upon the trail of companies for days, while awaiting 

 a favorable opportunity to seize one of the party. When 

 "el tigre " designs to make a meal of peccary, the char- 

 acter of that creature compels him to surprise it. This is 

 a very bold and inveterately revengeful animal, and more- 



