244 THE MANED AGUARA. 



confidence or familiarity even with dogs. Its sight 

 was not strong in the glare of day ; it retired to rest 

 about ten in the morning, and again about midnight. 

 In the dark, the eyes sometimes shone like those of 

 a true wolf. When let loose, the animal refused to 

 acknowledge command, and would avoid being 

 taken till driven into a corner, where crouched it^ 

 lay, until grasped by the hand, without offering 

 further resistance. The Aguara guazu, though not 

 hunted, is exceedingly distrustful, and having an 

 excellent scent and acute hearing, is always enabled 

 to keep at a distance from man ; and though often 

 seen, is but seldom within reach of the gun. The 

 female litters in the month of August, having three 

 or four whelps. Its voice consists in a loud and 

 repeated drawling cry, sounding like a-gou-d-d-a^ 

 which is heard to a considerable distance. 



In the next groups, we mean to describe the wild 

 dogs and the so called foxes of South America, 

 which, in order to be clearly ascertained, demand a 

 further subdivision, because the form of their heads, 

 bodies, tails, eyes, and colours are not sufficiently 

 alike to constitute an homogeneous section. There 

 is still considerable uncertainty in the distribution 

 of the smaller canines into diurnal and nocturnal 

 classes; because the only positive criterion to dis- 

 tinguish them depends upon the form of the pupils 

 of the eyes ; one being a circular disk, the other a 



