: 



KKLID.& 



KKI.HMt. 



Deamarest wici others identify thin animal with the Chibiguaiu of 

 D' Aiara. Tmminck, who received a akin from Ilio de Janeiro, 

 consider* it distinct. 



Chsti (Felit milii). 



D'Azara's description comes very near to that above given, as far 

 ai colouring U concerned ; but he gives the average length as 3 feet 

 6 inches : the individual which he described, the largest male he had 

 Men, was 4 feet all but an inch iu length ; tail, 13 inches ; height at 

 shoulders, 1 foot 6 inches, and behind 1 foot 74 inches. It was so 

 fat, that immediately after death it weighed 35 Ibs. : the females, he 

 ays, are rather leas. 



The same acute observer, speaking of his Chibiguazu, remarks that 

 some of the Ouaranese call the domestic cat Chibi, and others Hbra- 

 cajnL In the same manner, he says, some give the wild animal of 

 which he is treating the name of Chibi-Guazu, and others that of 

 Mbracayi-Ouazu ; both appellations signifying Oreat Cat Many 

 Spaniards, he adds, call it Onza (Ounce). 



He states that the species is so common that his friend Noseda cap- 

 tured eighteen individuals in two years, within two leagues of his 

 village ; but he adds that, notwithstanding this abundance, few are 

 acquainted with it, the huntsman and dogs never falling in with it, 

 and being unable to penetrate its haunts : he very much doubts whe- 

 ther any quadruped hides itself more effectually. He describes it as 

 remaining by day in the most impenetrable places, and as coming 

 forth after dusk, especially on dark stormy nights, when the chibi- 

 guazuH daringly enter the corrals and court-yards, though no instance 

 is known of their detection by the dogs. When the moon shines they 

 abstain from visiting inhabited spots, and never are trapped : to lie 

 in wait for them with a gun is hopeless, so sharp a look-out do they 

 keep. They carry off domestic fowls from trees which they climb, 

 sometimes six in one night, and often leave several dead. Hen and 

 dogs are avoided by them with, extreme caution, and each pair U 

 supposed to live in a separate district, for a male and female, and no 

 more, are always caught in the same place. Noseda formed a trap of 

 strong stakes, with three divisions : in Ihe middle he placed a white 

 fowl, so that it might not only be heard but seen at a distance : the 

 other divisions were so framed as to shut by the falling of the planks 

 as soon as the chibiguarus entered. This trap was set in the places 

 to which they resorted for prey, and those caught were turned into a 

 great den in Noseda' s court-yard. Some of these got away, and were 

 taken again two or three times in the same trap ; they were recognised 

 by ear-marks and other proofs. D'Azara infers from this that the idea 

 of danger was obliterated from their recollection by their desire to 

 pOMess the fowl He remarked that all which were kept in the den 

 deposited their excrements in their drinking-place, and when he sub- 

 stituted a narrow-necked jug to prevent this, they mounted to its 

 edge for that purpose, and never missed the vessel or it* immediate 

 neighbourhood. Nearly the whole day was spent by them rolled up 

 in a ball, and when a chibiguazu wished to stretch himself, he first 

 licked the one at his side. When straw was put into their den, or so 

 that they could reach it by thrusting their paws through the bars, it 

 was always found that on the day following they had placed it in a 

 heap, after having divided it into bits some quarter of an inch long, 

 and on this they reposed. The small sticks and twigs with which the 

 inside of their den was furnished were broken and torn to pieces in 

 like manner. Twilight and night were paused in pacing to and fro 

 close to the sides of their den ; and if crossed or interrupted by 

 another, they fufled and gesticulated like an angry cat, but without 

 using their paws. They never quarrelled, unless they were very much 

 irritated, and then they struck at each other with their fore paws. They 

 devoured five pounds of flesh per day when first caught, but after- 

 wards three sufficed. A portion was prepared for each of the twelve 

 or fourteen individuals confined, and they took it with their paws 

 according to the length of time they had been there, without any 

 interference on the part of the others. If however the animal whose 

 turn it was did not take his portion, or disregarded it, another imme- 

 diately matchr,! at it without any defence on the part of the right 

 owner except by sneezing, and sometimes by blows with its fore paws. 



A walk was made for them, inclosed by a sort of hurdle, so that rats, 

 fowls, ducks, or young dogs could be introduced into it : upon opening 

 the cage it was observed that usually one only went out fur each 

 victim, and almost always according to the order of their confinement 

 Cats and dogs they seized with their mouth by the nape of the neck, 

 overlaid them, and then kept them so that they could not stir, till 

 they were dead. Cats' flesh appeared to produce the mange, fretting 

 the chibiguazua, making them mew like cats, and at last destroying 

 them. Snakes, vipers, and toads were also eaten by them, but this 

 diet occasioned violent and continued vomiting ; they wasted to skele- 

 tons, and died in a few days. If the dog introduced equalled them in 

 size, they touched him not, for it appears that they do not assist each 

 other. If a chibiguazu cannot master any prey alone, he leaves it 

 Birds were caught by the head and neck, and thoroughly stripped of 

 their feathers before they were eaten. No unnecessary cruelty was 

 manifested. Noseda observed that one did not kill a fowl put into 

 his den till the third day. D'Azara and his friend frequently closed 

 the doors of the yard, and opened the den that the chibiguazus might 

 leave it : those lately caught went first ; and sometimes the old ones 

 would not go out even when their den was entered that it might be 

 swept They were left at liberty for several hours, during which they 

 examined every crevice, and then lay down to sleep. When boys 

 persecuted them with sticks, they retreated to their den without 

 turning on their persecutors, eveu when severely beaten. A male on 

 one occasion becoming very lazy, on entering his den ho was abused 

 tind bitten by his female, as if to punish him. Some individuals were 

 incarcerated for more than a year without exhibiting any sign of love. 

 In the night their eyes shone like those of a domestic cat, and they 

 resembled that animal in their form and habits, in lying down, licking 

 and cleaning themselves, washing their faces with their paws, Cuffing, 

 sneezing in fact, in every way. D'Azara concludes by stating that 

 his friend caught a young one, and it became so thoroughly tame that 

 it slept in the skirts of his clerical gown, and went about loose. He 

 affirmed that no animal could be more tractable : but it devoured the 

 poultry of his neighbours, and they killed it 



Fdit Pajerot, the Pampas-Cat, Pajero, or Jungle-Cat. Fur of 

 great length ; longer hairs of the back upwards of 3 inches, and 

 those of the hinder part of the back from 44 to 4] inches in length. 

 General colour pale yellow-gray ; numerous irregular yellow or 

 sometimes brown stripes running obliquely from the back along the 

 sides of the body. On each side of the face two stripes of yellowish 

 or cinnamon commencing near the eye, and extending backwards 

 and downwards over the cheeks, on the hinder part of which they 

 join, and form a single line, which encircles the lower part of the 

 throat. Tip of the muzzle and chin white ; a spot in front of the 

 eye, and a line beneath the eye, of the same colour ; belly, inner 

 side and hinder part of fore legs, white also. An irregular black 

 line running across the lower part of the chest, and extending over 

 the base of the fore legs externally ; above this line two other trans- 

 verse dark markings more or less defined on the chest On the fore 

 legs three broad black bands, two of which encircle the leg ; on 

 the posterior legs about five black bands externally, and some 

 irregular dark spots internally. Feet yellowish, and under side of 

 tarsus of a slightly deeper hue. On the belly numerous large 

 irregular black spots. Ears moderate, with long white hairs internally ; 

 externally of the same colour as the head, except at the apex, where 

 the hairs are black, and form a slight tuft Tail short somewhat 



Pimpu-Cat (Filit Fajeroi}. 'Zoo!, of the Beagle.' 



bushy, and devoid of dark rings or spots the hairs are in fact 

 coloured as those on the back. On the upper part of tho body each 

 hair brown at the base, then yellow, and at the apex black. On 

 the hinder part of the back the hairs almost black at the base, and, 

 on the sides of the body, each hair gray at the base ; there is then 

 a considerable space of yellowish-white colour : towards the apex they 

 are white, and at the apex black. The greater number of the hairs 

 of the moustaches white. Length from nose to root of tail 26 inches ; 

 of tail (fur included), 11 inches. Height of body at shoulders, 



