The Jaguar 185 



structure of the creature assaulted suggest, they break its 

 neck, tear open the blood-vessels in its throat, strike it dead 

 with a blow from their powerful and massive forearms, 

 crush its life out in their spring, drown it, and tear it to 

 pieces while alive. This last is the way in which such 

 vast numbers of the great river turtles are destroyed : 

 they are turned upon their backs, the claws inserted 

 beneath the breast plate, and these unfortunates are then 

 torn asunder. 



With reference to the act of overwhelming an animal, 

 crushing it to death, or killing it by shock, Emmanuel 

 Liais (" Climats, Geologic, Faune, du Bresil "), who gives 

 a somewhat different etymology for the word jaguar from 

 that before mentioned, remarks that this term may be 

 translated in a way that refers directly to its method of 

 taking life. " Le nom de Jagudra pent alors se traduire en 

 frangais par le ptriphrase : Carnassier qui ecrase sa proie 

 d'un settle bond." This plan is, however, inapplicable to 

 large game. 



When a jaguar catches fish, either by waiting till they 

 rise, or by attracting fruit-eating species by tapping with his 

 tail so they think food is falling from the trees, he simply 

 tosses them on shore, and they suffocate in the air; but with 

 the lemantin of the Amazon, upon which he constantly 

 preys, that would be impossible. Paul Marcoy saw the act 

 of capture and describes it in these terms : "At the distance 

 of twenty paces, on a bank facing us, and but a few feet 

 in height, a jaguar of the larger species, Yahuqratt pacoa 

 sororoca, with pale red fur, and its body beautifully 

 marked, was crouching with fierce aspect, on its fore- 



