172 ST. FE. 



variety of creeping plants, thus forming a thick 

 jungle. These thickets afford a retreat for capy- 

 baras and jaguars. The fear of the latter animal 

 quite destroyed all pleasure in scrainbling through 

 the woods. This evening I had not proceeded a 

 hundred yards before, finding indubitable signs of 

 the recent presence of the tiger, I was obliged to 

 come back. On every island there were tracks ; 

 and as on the former excursion " el rastro de los 

 Indies" had been the subject of conversation, so in 

 this was " el rastro del tigre." 



The wooded banks of the great rivers appear to 

 be the favourite haunts of the jaguar, but south of 

 the Plata I was told that they frequented the reeds 

 bordering lakes : wherever they are, they seem to 

 require water. Their common prey is the capy- 

 bara, so that it is generally said, where capybaras 

 are numerous there is little danger from the jaguar. 

 Falconer states that near the southern side of the 

 mouth of the Plata there are many jaguars, and 

 that they chiefly live on fish ; this account I have 

 heard repeated. On the Parana they have killed 

 many wood-cutters, and have even entered vessels 

 at night. There is a man now living in the Bajada, 

 who, coming up from below when it was dark, was 

 seized on tlfe deck ; he escaped, however, with 

 the loss of the use of one arm. When the floods 

 drive these animals from the islands, they are most 

 dangerous. I was told that a few years since a 

 very large one found its way into a church at St, 

 Fe : two padres entering one after the other were 

 killed, and a third, who came to see what was the 

 matter, escaped with difficulty. The beast was 

 destroyed by being shot from a corner of the build- 

 ing which was unroofed. They commit also at 

 these times great ravages among cattle and horses. 

 It is said that they kill their prey by breaking their 



