174 THE JAGUAR. 
than three pounds. They are chiefly used for military purposes, such as the coverings of 
officers’ saddles in certain cavalry regiments. Sometimes, a black variety of the Jaguar is 
found, its colour beine precisely similar to that of the Black Leopard, mentioned on 
page 169. 
The whole fur seems to take the tint of the dark spots, while the spots themselves are 
just marked by a still deeper hue. Probably, the cause of this curious difference in tint 
may be, that in the blood of the individual Jaguar there exists a larger quantity than 
usual of iron, which metal, as is well known, is found to form one of the constituents of 
blood. It can be extracted in the metallic form, and resembles very fine sand. In the 
human blood, late researches have discovered that the blood of the negro is peculiarly 
rich in iron, and it seems but reasonable that a similar cause will account for the very 
great variation in the leopard’s and Jaguar’s fur. 
This beautiful animal is familiar to us through the medium of many illustrated works 
on natural history, and also on account of the numerous species which have been trans- 
mitted to this country. One of these creatures, which was brought to England by Cap- 
tain Inglefield, and placed in the collection of the Zoological Gardens, was so gentle 
and docile, that it directly controverted the once popular notion that the Jaguar is an 
irreclaimable and untameable animal. It was a general pet on the voyage, and, from an 
account of its proceedings while on board ship, I am indebted to Captain Inelefield 
himself, 
The Jaguar was named “Doctor,” and was as well acquainted with its name as any dog. 
It was at times rather lazy, and loved to le at full leneth on deck, and stretch its limbs to 
their full extent. It was so perfectly tame that Captain Inglefield was accustomed to 
lie down by the side of the spotted favourite, using its body as his pillow. When the 
vessel arrived in harbour, and people were anxious to view the Jaguar, the creature walked 
to the stable where it was to be exhibited, merely being led by its chain. It was a remark- 
able circumstance, that, although the animal was so entirely tame and gentle towards men, 
and would let them pull it about in their rough play, it could never be trusted in the 
presence of a little child, nor of a dog. In either case, the animal became excited, and 
used to stretch its chain to its utmost limit. 
Uncooked meat was never permitted in its diet, and, except in one or two instances, 
when the animal contrived to obtain raw flesh, it was fed exclusively on meat that had 
been boiled. One of these exceptional cases was rather amusing. 
At Monte Video, the admiral had signalled for the captains of H.M. ships to come 
on board and dine with him. His cook was, of course, very busy on the occasion, and 
more especially so, as there was at the time rather a scarcity of fresh provisions. The 
steward had been making the necessary arrangements for the entertainment, and came on 
board carrying a leg of mutton and some fowls. Just as he stepped on deck, the Jaguar 
bounced out of his hiding-place, and, clutching the meat and fowls out of the steward’s 
hands, ran off with them. The fowls were rescued by the Captain, who got them away 
from the robber undamaged, with the exception of their heads, which had been bitten off 
and eaten, but the mutton was past reclaiming, and so, to the ereat diseust of the cook 
and steward, the bill of fare had to be altered. 
When “Doctor” received his daily food, he used to clutch and growl over it like a cat 
over a mouse, but was sufficiently gentle to permit the meat to be abstracted. In order 
to take away the animal's food, two men were employed, armed with large sticks, one of 
whom took his place in front of the J aguar, and the other in the rear. When all was 
arranged, the man in the rear poked “Doctor” behind, and, as he turned round to see 
what was the matter, the man in front hooked away the meat with his stick. However 
the animal might growl over its food, and snarl at any one who approached, it would 
become perfectly quiet and gentle as soon as the cause of anger was removed. 
It was a very playful animal, and was as mischievous in its sport as any kitten, 
delighting to find any one who would join in a game of romps, and acting just as a a kitten 
would under similar cireumstances. As the animal increased in size and ‘strength, its play 
began to be rather too rough to be agreeable, and was, moreover, productive of rather un- 
pleasant consequences to its fellow voyagers. For, as is the custom with all the cat tribe, 
