NO. 5 MAMMALS OF PANAMA GOLDMAN 167 



While the jaguar is large and powerful enough to be very dan- 

 gerous, I was unable to learn of an authentic case of an unprovoked 

 attack on man. When surrounded it is said to fight stubbofrnly and 

 sometimes kills dogs used in the chase. But even when harried by 

 hounds it prefers to keep moving, seeking to escape to the densest 

 parts of the forest. In order to avoid dogs the jaguar may climb 

 into trees where it is easily approached and shot. At Chepo I learned 

 that wandering jaguars periodically kill cattle ranging on the savan- 

 nas between that point and the city of Panama. 



The occurrence of the species in the Canal Zone was noted by 

 Maack (1874, p. 171) who in the course of his extended journey saw 

 one only, near the railway between Buenavista and Bohio. He says : 

 " I came to within about twelve paces of it, but as soon as the animal 

 saw me it ran away. It seems that these larger cats (referring in 

 part to the ocelot) are very shy and cowardly, and prefer the most 

 concealed life in the very middle of the forests." 



Specimens examined: Boca de Cupe, i.^ 



FELIS PARDALIS MEARNSI Allen 



Mearns' Ocelot ; Manigordo ; Tigre Chico 



Felis mearnsi Allen, Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., Vol. 20, p. 71, February 

 29, 1904. (Substitute for F. costaricensis Mearns, which is preoccupied 

 by F. bangsi costaricensis Merriam.) Type from Talamanca, Costa 

 Rica. (Probably from near Sipurio in the valley of the Rio Sicsola.) 



The ocelot is the most abundant of the spotted cats of Middle 

 America. F. p. mearnsi is a large southern form of the F. pardalis 

 group easily distinguished from the jaguar by much smaller size and 

 the presence of about four parallel black stripes on the nape and 

 oblique stripes near the shoulders. In the jaguar these areas are 

 black spotted instead of striped. While the two animals are widely 

 different in size large ocelot skins represented to be those of the 

 jaguar are sometimes sold at high prices to unsuspecting purchasers 

 who may by noting the above markings avoid deception. The ocelot 

 of Panama closely resembles the long-tailed spotted cat of the same 

 region in profusely spotted and striped coloration, but is a much 

 larger more robust animal with a shorter tail ; the tail of the ocelot 

 measures about 350 millimeters while that of the long-tailed spotted 

 cat as represented by the type is 440 millimeters in length. 



Several ocelots were seen during the day resting among the 

 branches of trees. When approached they usually tried to escape by 

 climbing slowly and stealthily out of sight, but when discovery 



^ Collection Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist. 



