128 



THE BEASTS OF PREY. 



a second lasso, which is pulled in the opposite di- 

 rection. Sometimes he is caught in pitfalls or killed 

 with spring guns put near his prey. 



The fur of the Jaguar is of slight value and is 

 seldom used in any way except as a rug. Von der 

 Steinen, who has tried Jaguar flesh, says that the first 

 animal was tough, but the second " tasted like roast 

 pork. The cutlets would have been excellent cooked 

 with red cabbage." Certain parts of the Jaguar's 

 body are used as medicines. 



THE OCELOT. 



The Ocelot (Felts partialis) is a smaller American 

 Cat. His length is about four feet, of which the tail 

 takes up about one foot and a half, and his height 

 at the shoulder is about twenty inches. The body 

 is proportionately strong, the head rather large, the 

 tapering tail moderately long, the ears short, broad 

 and rounded, the pupil of oblong, ovoid shape ; the 

 fur is thick, soft, lustrous and marked with bright, 

 well-harmonized colors. The general color is tawnv 



good as moonlight to him, in fact, he prefers those 

 that are stormy, as he can then slink into farmyards 

 unperceived and work destruction at his own will. 

 In dark nights the farmer has need to lock his poul- 

 try yard with extra care, for if the Ocelot succeeds 

 in entering he will work fearful havoc. In the woods 

 his sustenance consists of birds, small mammals, 

 young Roes, Pigs, Monkeys, Rats, Mice, etc. 



Ocelots live in couples within a circumscribed 

 territory. When the sportsman has seen one he 

 may look for the other in close proximity, but more 

 than two are never found in one locality. Male 

 and female do not go out for prey together, nor do 

 they help each other in the hunt or in an attack. 



The Ocelot does comparatively little mischief to 

 Man ; he is too much afraid of Man and of his 

 Dogs to approach human dwellings. Only houses 

 that are very near woods receive an occasional visit 

 from this animal, and even then he has designs only 

 on the poultry ; he usually carries away about two 

 Chickens and eats them in the nearest bush. If his 



first raid is successful, 





he is likely to repeat 

 it for several succeed- 

 ing nights, until he is 

 captured or the pursuit 



THE PAMPAS CAT. 



and these markings are accurately 



long grass of the South American plains. (Felis flajcros.') 



or grayish brown above and yellowish white below. 

 A black stripe runs from the eyes to the ears. The 

 body shows bands and spots of black, and the tail 

 • is ringed with black. The markings may vary greatly 

 in the different specimens. 



The Ocelot is widely distributed. He is found in 

 the southern parts of North America and in South 

 America south to Peru, Bolivia and Paraguay. He 

 lives more in the deep, virgin forests than in the 

 vicinity of settlements, although he may also be met 

 with there. He is never found in the open country, 

 but only in the woods, in rocky or marshy situa- 

 tions. He does not seem to have a permanent den. 

 How the Ocelot During the day he sleeps in the most 

 Lives impenetrable part of the forest ; at 



and Hunts. dusk, and particularly at night, he 

 goes forth to prey. Dark or stormy nights are as 



^S^^'^^l becomes too hot for 



him. In Paraguay he 

 is hunted with Dogs or 

 caught in traps. He is 

 very shy and wary, and 

 on moonlight nights he 

 generally manages to 

 see the hunter and 

 make good his escape 

 before he himself is 

 seen. 

 The Ways Young Oce- 

 of Tame lots are often 

 Ocelots, caught and 

 tamed, and are interest- 

 ing animals when in 

 captivity. They will 

 play with a little piece 

 of paper, an orange or 

 other trifle like young 

 Kittens. They soon 

 come to know their 

 keeper, will lick his 

 hands, lie down at his 

 feet and climb upon 

 him. They are very 



n in the picture, which portrays the animal in its native home amid the cacti and cncrpntJlilo f^v r-iroosoa 



, (Felis taicros.t susceptiDie to caresses 



and purr whenever they 

 are petted, and never show a treacherous disposition. 

 Captive Ocelots will live on very good terms with 

 Dogs and Cats, but cannot overcome their Chicken- 

 stealing propensities. Forgetful of all former casti- 

 gations, they will spring at a Hen at every opportu- 

 nity and then nothing can keep them from killing 

 the fowl. For this reason they are usually kept in a 

 cage or chained up. 



THE PAMPAS CAT. 



The Pampas Cat (Felis pajeros) possesses more 

 distinct stripes in the markings of its fur than any 

 other member of the Cat family. Its ground color 

 is a beautiful silvery gray, traversed by paler or 

 darker russet stripes. Each hair is gray at its root, 

 and then yellow, tipped with silver-gray, or in the 

 stripes with a russet yellow. Along the spine black 



