138 THE YAGUARUNDI. 



is marked on the body with many black spots, which 

 disappear as the animal advances to maturity. Even 

 in its earliest stage, the tip of the tail in the puma 

 is black. The eyes of this new species, which are 

 large, are said to have a pale yellowish iris. The 

 beard is slender and scanty ; the teeth sharp and 

 long. 



" What I have been able to collect of the habits 

 of this animal, is, that it is an inhabitant of the deep 

 recesses of the forests, that it climbs trees to prey 

 upon birds, monkeys, &c. but that it will boldly at- 

 tack the larger quadrupeds." 



THE EYRA OF AZARA. 



Felis eyra, Desmarest's Mammalogie, p. 231 Eyra, Azara, 



Quadruped, del Paraguay, i. p. 159. 



THE eyra is of a reddish -brown, with the ex- 

 ception of the under jaw, and a small spot on each 

 side of the nose, which are white. The length of 

 the body is about 20 inches, that of the tail 11^ 

 inches. This description is copied by Desmarest, 

 and every author who has mentioned it ; in fact, it is 

 all that is known regarding it. There is, however, 

 a figure given by Griffiths, of an animal which he 

 refers to this species, and which seems to agree ex- 

 actly with it. It is very like a little puma, and, with 

 a slight variation of markings, would agree except in 

 size with the description of that animal. 



