THE SERVAL. 177 
the sun, the Jaguai sf nthe creature as it is slowly making its way to its familiar 
element, and with a quw 4. droit movement of the paws, turns the turtle on its back. 
There the poor reptile liés, helpress, and waiting until its captor is pleased to consummate 
his work by killing and eating the animal which he has thus ingeniously intercepted. The 
Jaguar needs no saw to cut through the bony shell, nor lever to separate the upper from 
the lower portion, nor knife to sever the flesh from the bones, for his paw stands him in 
the stead of these artificial instruments, and serves his purpose right well. Tearing away 
as much as possible of the softer parts that lie by the tail, the Jaguar inserts his supple 
paw, armed with its sharp talons, and scoops out, as neatly as if cut by knives, the flesh 
together with the vital organs of the devoted chelonian, The difficulty of this task can 
only be rightly appreciated by those who have undertaken a similar task, and have 
achieved the feat of removing the interior of a tortoise or turtle without separating the 
upper and under shells. 
The eggs of the turtle are nearly as important to the Jaguar as is the flesh of the 
mother turtle herself. After inverting the maternal turtle, the Jaguar will leave her in 
her impotent position, and going to the shore, coolly scoop out and devour the soft 
leather-covered egos which she had deposited in the sandy beach in vain hopes of their 
seasonable development by the warm sunbeams. 
Birds are simply struck down by a single blow of the Jaguar’s ready paw; and so 
quick are his movements, that, even if a bird has risen upon the wing, he can often make 
one of his wonderful bounds, and with a light, quick stroke, arrest the winged prey before 
it has had time to soar beyond his reach. As to the fish, the Jaguar watches for them at 
the water side, and as soon as an unfortunate fish happens to swim within reach of the 
spotted foe, a nimble paw, with outstretched talons, is suddenly thrust forth, and the fish 
swept out of the water upon dry land. 
The Jaguar is quite as suspicious and cautious an animal as any of the Old World 
felidee, and never will make an open attack upon man or beast. Should a solitary animal 
pass within reach, the Jaguar hesitates not in pouncing upon it ; but if a herd of animals, 
or a party of men, should be travelling together, the Jaguar becomes very cautious, and 
will dog their steps for many miles, in hopes of securing one of the party in the act of 
straggling. Ifthe Jaguar should be very hungry indeed, and unable to wait patiently, it 
will yet temper audacity with caution, and though it will, under that urgent necessity 
seize one out of the number, it will always choose that individual which is hindermost, 
hoping to escape with its prey before the companions can come to the rescue. A Jaguar 
has been known to follow the track of travellers for days together, only daring to show 
itself at rare intervals. 
. In the countries where the Jaguar most abounds, many tales are rife respecting the 
strength, agility, and audacity of this fierce animal. When the earlier settlers fixed their 
rough wooden huts in the recesses of the American forests, the Jaguar was one of their 
most persistent and relentless foes. Did they set up a poultry-yard, the Jaguar tore open 
the hen-roosts, and ate the fowls. Did they fill their stables with horses, the Jaguar broke 
their necks, and did his best to carry the heavy carcasses to his forest home. Did they 
establish a piggery, the Jaguar snapped up sow and litter; and in fine, it was hardly 
possible to secure their live stock so effectually that it could not be reached by this 
ravenous beast. The only resource was to kill the Jaguar himself, and so to put an 
effectual stop to his depredations. But there are many Jaguars in a district; and for a 
term of years, the toil of ridding the country of these fierce marauders was a most arduous 
one. However, perseverance and indomitable courage gained the day at last, and the 
Jaguars were forced to retire from the habitations of men, and hide themselves in the thick 
uncultivated forest land. 
The SrRvAt, or “ Bosch-katte,” ¢.e.’ “ Bush-cat,” as it is appropriately termed by the 
Dutch colonists of the Cape, is an inhabitant of Southern Africa. It is a very pretty 
animal both with regard to the colour of its fur and the elegant contour of its body. The 
short, puffy tail, however, rather detracts from the general effect of the living animal. On 
1, N 
