98 LLOYD'S NATURAL HISTORY. 



Jaguars. In reference to the statement as to the former abun- 

 dance of these animals in the neighbourhood of the Rio de La 

 Plata made in the foregoing account, it may be observed that 

 the Rio Tigre, a short distance from Buenos Aires, probably 

 derives its name from the numbers of Jaguars which once 

 haunted the beautiful willow-woods with which its valley is 

 fringed. Although from Darwin's account, it would look, at 

 first sight, as if the attacks on the woodcutters and the man 

 on board ship were unprovoked, yet the general testimony of 

 observers is to the effect that, unless when pressed by hunger, 

 as in the case of the priests in the church at' Santa Fe, the 

 Jaguar does not generally make unprovoked attacks on human 

 beings. Indeed, from the fact that in the Argentine, where 

 many individuals used to be seen with their backs lacerated 

 from such attacks, the Jaguar allows himself to be attacked 

 and beaten by its smaller cousin the Puma, we may regard it 

 as somewhat of a cowardly creature than otherwise. 



As confirming the fishing propensities of the Jaguar referred 

 to in Darwin's account, we may quote the following passage 

 from Humboldt's narrative of his experiences on the Orinoco, 

 where he writes that " we were shown large shells of Turtles 

 emptied by the Jaguars. These animals follow the arraus 

 towards the beaches, when the laying of eggs is to take place. 

 They surprise them on the sand ; and in order to devour them 

 at their ease, turn them in such a manner that the under shell 

 is uppermost. In this situation the Turtles cannot rise, and as 

 the Jaguar turns many more than he can eat in one night, the 

 Indians often avail themselves of his cunning and malignant 

 avidity. When we reflect on the difficulty that the naturalist 

 finds in getting out the body, without separating the upper and 

 under shells, we cannot enough admire the suppleness of the 

 Tiger's paw, which empties the double armour of the arraus 

 is if the adhering parts of the muscles had been cut by means 



