THE JAGUAR. 301 



the flanks and sides of the jaguar, are regular ocelli, or eye 

 spots ; that is, they consist of an external circle of black, 

 with a spot of the same in the middle, and the intermediate 

 space of the same color as the rest of the ground on which 

 the spots are placed. The spots upon the cats of the east 

 have sometimes a paler portion within the hlack, but we be 

 lieve no specimen has occurred in them with a black spot in 

 the centre ; and though jaguars are subject to considerable 

 variety in color, and also in the form and intensity of the 

 spots, we believe that no specimen of them has been found 

 entirely destitute of spots consisting of a black circumference 

 and a black centre. The spots, more especially on the 

 haunches and shoulders, sometimes have the external circle 

 broken, so that they appear, five or six in number ranged at 

 equal distances round a central one. Those on the ridge of 

 the back are in general almost confluent, while along the 

 sides they arrange in four nearly longitudinal rows. They 

 are often, however, mixed with transverse bars of a paler 

 color, having some resemblance to the stripes on the tiger. 

 The upper part of the animal is in general of a rich yellow 

 color, and the spots of an intense black. The under part is 

 white, marked with regular spots and transverse bars of 

 black. The skin of this animal is indeed one of the most 

 beautiful of the whole race, though there is probably less 

 uniformity in the markings than in those of any of the others. 

 No two individuals are marked exactly in the same manner, 

 and generally the two sides of the same individual are marked 

 differently. 



There are one or two varieties of the jaguar mentioned by 

 writers on the zoology of South America, but there seems to 

 be no difference between them, excepting in size and color, 

 and, as is the case with the tiger in the east, the larger spe- 

 cimens are met with in the richest places. They are chiefly 

 found in the thick forests, near the banks of the great rivers, 

 and seldom, if ever, to the southward of Paraguay. They 



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