302 THRILLING ADVENTURES. 



are solitary animals, or, at all events, they are found only in 

 pairs ; but it is not ascertained whether their pairing is con- 

 stant, like that of the lion, or only temporary, as is the case 

 with the tiger. Analogy would, however, lead us to suppose 

 that, as they agree most with the tiger in appearance and in 

 locality, they also agree most with it in all their habits. 



As the jaguar is not quite so powerful an animal as the 

 tiger, and not nearly so active, even in proportion to its 

 strength, it is not in any situation so formidable to human 

 beings during the daylight ; but, at night, it is a dangerous 

 animal, whether met with in its native forests, or when, as it 

 sometimes does, it makes an inroad upon the remote settle- 

 ments. Generally speaking, a fire or a light will keep it at 

 a distance ; but when it is very hungry, or otherwise greatly 

 excited, it is said to bid the same defiance to these as the 

 tiger does. 



Its usual time for preying is during the night, or at least 

 when the sun is down, and it lies in wait to attack, and springs 

 upon the back of its prey. 'As the largest native mammalia 

 of this continent are but of inconsiderable size, the jaguar 

 finds them a very easy conquest ; and since the introduction 

 of cattle and horses by Europeans, and the great multipli- 

 cation especially of the former, in a wild state, the jaguar 

 gets nobler game than peccaries, and game more obedient to 

 his claws than armadilloes. The full grown bulls are as for- 

 midable to him as the buffaloes are to the lions in Southern 

 Africa ; but the cows and the young he readily masters ; and 

 even the horse is said to be a favorite prey with him. His 

 method is to lie in wait, and to spring, uttering a yell which, 

 though not very agreeable, is not so horrible as that of the 

 tiger, alighting on the shoulders of the larger animals ; then, 

 holding on with the hind feet, he advances his fore paws, 

 and, grasping across the nostrils with the one, and the chin 

 with the other, closes the nose and the mouth, and, straining 

 his body together at the same time, at once suffocates the 



