93 LLOYD’S NATURAL HISTORY. 
Jaguars. In reference to (yggestatement 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 Tigré, 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 Fé, 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 
as if the adhering parts of the muscles had been cut by means 
