THE JAGUAR. 175 
the Jaguar delighted in sticking its talons into the clothes of its human playfellows, and 
tearing them in a disastrous manner. The creature was so amusing that no one could 
resist the temptation of playing with it, and so the evil was remedied by docking the 
“Doctors” claws of their sharp points. 
This animal was about two years old when it was brought to England, and died but 
very lately. Two years after its arrival, Captain Inglefield went to see his old favourite, 
the “Doctor,” and found that the Jaguar recognised him in spite of the long interval of 
time, and permitted him to pat its head and to open its mouth. 
In its native land, the Jaguar ranges the dense and perfumed forests in search of the 
various creatures which fall victims to its powerful claws. The list of animals that com- 
pose its bill of fare is a large and comprehensive one, including horses, deer, monkeys, 
capybaras, tapirs, birds of various kinds, turtles, lizards, and fish; thus comprising 
examples of all the four orders of vertebrated animals. Nor does the Jaguar confine itself 
to the vertebrates. Various shell-fish, insects, and other creatures fall victims to the insa- 
tiate appetite of this ravenous animal. 
It seems strange that such powerful creatures as horses should be reckoned among the 
prey of the Jaguar, for it would seem unlikely that the muscular force of the animal 
could be equal to the task of destroying and carrying away so large a quadruped as a 
horse. Yet such is truly the case; and the Jaguars commit infinite havoc among the horses 
that band together in large herds on the plains of Paraguay. A Jaguar has been known to 
swim across a wide river, to kill a horse, to drag it for some sixty yards to the water side, to 
plunge it into the stream, to swim across the river with its prey, to drag it out of the water 
after reaching the opposite bank, and, finally, to carry it off into a neighbouring wood. The 
natives of the country where the Jaguar lives assert that even when two horses have been 
fastened to each other, the Jaguar has been known to kill one of them, and to drag off the 
living and the dead horse in spite of the strength of the survivor. 
These seem to be marvellous exploits, when the ordinary size of the Jaguar is taken 
into consideration. But Humboldt, than whom is no better or more trustworthy authority, 
says that he has seen a Jaguar, “which in length surpassed that of all the tigers of India 
which I had seen in the collections of Europe.” 
The favourite food of the Jaguar—when he can get it—is the flesh of the various mon- 
keys. But to catch a monkey is not the easiest task in the world, and in general can only 
be achieved by leaping upon the prey from a place of concealment, or by surprising the 
monkeys while sleeping. Sometimes it is fortunate enough to get among a little band of 
monkeys before they are aware of the presence of the dreaded foe, and then seizes the 
opportunity of dealing a few fierce strokes of its terrible paw among the partly-awakened 
sleepers, thus dashing them to the ground, whither it descends to feast at leisure on the 
ample repast. The fierce hoarse roar of the Jaguar and the yells of terror that come from 
the frighted monkeys resound far and wide, and proclaim in unmistakeable language the 
deadly work that is going on among the trees. 
Peccaries are also a favourite article of diet with the Jaguar, but he finds scarcely less 
difficulty in picking up a peccary than in knocking down a monkey. For the little, active, 
sharp-tusked peccary is even more swinishly dull than is usual even with its swinish rela- 
tives, and, being too thick-headed to understand danger, is a very terrible antagonist to 
man or beast. It seems to care nothing for size, weapons, or strength, but launches itself 
as fearlessly on a Jaguar or an armed man as on a rabbit ora child. So, unless the Jaguar 
can manage quietly to snap up a strageler, he has small chance with a herd of these war- 
like little pigs, which, if they caught a Jaguar among them, would cut him so severely 
with their lancet-like teeth, that he would ever repent his temerity, even if he escaped 
with his life. 
One of the easiest animals to obtain is that huge and timid rodent, the capybara, 
which is not sufficiently swift of foot to escape by flight, nor agile of limb to bound out of 
reach of its enemy, nor furnished with natural arms with which to defend itself against his 
assaults. Should it take to the water, and so endeavour to elude pursuit, the Jaguar is in 
nowise disconcerted, for he is nearly as familiar with that element as the capybara 
itself, and thus seldom fails in securing his prey. When the Jaguar strikes down a large 
