46 



WHAT MR. DARWIN SAW. 



LA PLATA. 



THE JAGUAR. 



THE wooded banks of the great rivers appear to be the 

 favorite haunts of the jaguar; but south of the Plata, I was 



told they frequented the reeds 

 bordering lakes : wherever they 

 are, they seem to require wa- 

 ter. Their common prey is the 

 capibara, or water-hog, so that 

 it is generally said, where ca- 

 pibaras 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 jag- 

 uars, 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. 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 cliurch 

 at Santa Fe: two priests, en- 

 tering 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 building which was unroofed. 



THE JAGUAK. 



THE CAPIBARA. 



