CAT FAMILY 



151 



females. The tail is much shorter, compared 

 with that of the Leopard, and in a large male sel- 

 dom exceeds two feet. 



I'requently the Jaguar is forced to take to 

 arboreal life during the rainy season, or floods, 

 and, as may be expected, climbs well among the 

 trees and branches. Here, instead of his retreat 

 being a rocky cavern which he uses as a lair, in 

 one place, he " lays up " upon a huge branch 

 where the thick, gnarled foliage shuts out 

 the sizzling sun, and where he can doze quietly 

 through the long, sweltering hours of the day. 

 The pupil of the Jaguar is circular and is not 



of his voice, and to the extent he emplovs it, 

 some insisting that the great Cat is decidedly 

 silent. He may be quiet or noisy, depending 

 on locality, or weather. The English naturalist, 

 Charles Waterton, who spent ten years in the 

 wilds of Guiana, wrote : " During the night the 

 Jaguars roared and grumbled in the forests as 

 though the world was going wrong with them.'' 

 Jaguars are indiscriminate feeders and their 

 appetite is a ravenous one ; so long as an animal 

 has blood in its body, whether it be red or white, 

 it does not come amiss to their taste. From 

 bugs and lizards to all quadrupeds that inhabit 



JAGUAR 





' El Tigre " of Central and South America occasionally wanders as far north as Texas, New Mexico, 

 and Arizona. He is a powerful and beautifully marked animal 



adaj)ted to excess light. Like all the Fclidac, the 

 animal is nocturnal and prowls stealthily about 

 at sunset and throughout the night in search of 

 prey. While occasionally abroad by day, this is 

 not its custom. 



The Jaguar leaving his lair shortly after sunset 

 for the night-long prowl, frequently begins to 

 roar like a lion, until he actually begins to 

 hunt. Jaguars are usually noisy animals, espe- 

 cially during the pairing season and upon stormy 

 nights, when their harsh, rasping roar vibrates 

 through the forest, in tones conveying the im- 

 pression of great power. There is a widespread 

 difference of oninion, however, as to the tone 



their range, they prey upon them promiscuously, 

 including domestic animals, such as horses, cattle 

 and especially calves and dogs. 



In the tropics they also capture for food, the 

 tapir, peccary, agouti, marsh deer, wild fowl, and 

 consume large numbers of fresh water turtles and 

 their eggs. The Jaguar swims well and does not 

 hesitate to follow turtles into the water. Often 

 the great Cat, by a dexterous stroke of his paw, 

 will flip a fish up onto the bank, and this practice 

 seems to be engaged in both for sport and for 

 gain ; for all animals, no matter how serious a 

 life they lead, must play a little sometimes, and 

 the Cat family particularly are so inclined. 



