A JAGUAR-HUNT ON THE TAQUARY 65 



shot pains or affects these dull-nerved, cold-blooded crea- 

 tures. As it lay on a sand-bank, it was hit with a long 22 

 bullet. It slid into the water but found itself in the midst 

 of a school of fish. It at once forgot everything except its 

 greedy appetite, and began catching the fish. It seized 

 fish after fish, holding its head above water as soon as its 

 jaws had closed on a fish; and a second bullet killed it. 

 Some of the crocodiles when shot performed most extraor- 

 dinary antics. Our weapons, by the way, were good, ex- 

 cept Miller's shotgun. The outfit furnished by the Amer- 

 ican museum was excellent except in guns and cartridges; 

 this gun was so bad that Miller had to use Fiala's gun or 

 else my Fox 12-bore. 



In the late afternoon we secured a more interesting 

 creature than the jacares. Kermit had charge of two 

 hounds which we owed to the courtesy of one of our Ar- 

 gentine friends. They were biggish, nondescript animals, 

 obviously good fighters, and they speedily developed the 

 utmost affection for all the members of the expedition, 

 but especially for Kermit, who took care of them. One 

 we named " Shenzi," the name given the wild bush natives 

 by the Swahili, the semicivilized African porters. He 

 was good-natured, rough, and stupid hence his name. 

 The other was called by a native name, "Trigueiro." The 

 chance now came to try them. We were steaming between 

 long stretches of coarse grass, about three feet high, when 

 we spied from the deck a black object, very conspicuous 

 against the vivid green. It was a giant ant-eater, or ta- 

 mandua bandeira, one of the most extraordinary creatures 

 of the latter-day world. It is about the size of a rather 

 small black bear. It has a very long, narrow, toothless 



