JAGUAR — SMALLER CATS — MANED WOLF— FOXES 361 



their eo-^s. Occasionally they will catch and kill an alligator ; and even fishes are 



said to form an important item of their fare. Jaguars are near akin to leopards ; 



their ancestors probably reached America by way of Bering Strait, and then died 



off in the north. A similar relationship is presented by the ocelot of America to 



the clouded leopard and allied Asiatic species. 



The second largest cat of South America is the puma, to which 

 Smaller Cats 



reference has already been made under the heading of North 



America. A third and smaller species, the ocelot (F. pardalis), like the jaguar is 



a native of the South American tropical tract, ranging from Paraguay northwards 



to Arkansas, where it is represented by numerous local races not yet fully denned. 



The most common form is tawny yellow or reddish grey marked by chain-like 



streaks and blotches bordered with black, and spots and stripes on the head and 



limbs, and imperfect dark rings on the tail. Ocelots vary in length from 3 feet to 



4 feet, inclusive of the tail, which may measure from 11 to 15 inches. They seem 



everywhere to be true forest animals, and are consequently not met with on the 



pampas of the Argentine. Another very variable species is the margay or tiger-cat 



(F. tigrina). 



A very beautiful South American cat, the colocollo (F. colocollo), inhabiting 



Chile, Bolivia, and other districts, is about the size of a large domesticated cat. In 



one form the colour is pale gre} T , with dark spots and streaks, and a black streak 



uniting the eye with the jaw. Two very remarkable types are the jaguarondi (F. 



jaguarondi) and the eyra (F. eyra). The former, which inhabits Paraguay, Brazil, 



Guiana, and north-eastern Mexico, is blackish or brownish ^rev in colour, without 



spots or stripes. In addition to the elongated form of its body and tail (which 



measure about 35 inches), the jaguarondi is characterised by the narrowness of its 



nose — a feature noticeable even in the skull. Several local races or subspecies are 



known. Still more elongated and slender is the eyra, which in form resembles 



a weasel, and has a small, flat head, long neck, and short legs, standing much 



higher behind than at the shoulders. In colour the eyra varies from reddish 



yellow to chestnut-brown, without markings of any kind. Its range extends 



from Paraguay to the Texan border ; like the jaguarondi, it is a forest animal 



rarely seen in the open. 



_ By far the largest South American representative of the dog tribe 



Maned Wolf. . r & 



is the so-called maned wolf (Canisjubatus), a long-haired, red-coloured 

 species, in which the hair attains its maximum development on the neck, although 

 it does not form a distinct mane. In size it is about as large as the common wolf, 

 but is longer in the legs and has a shorter tail. In colour it is bright yellowish 

 red with the front of the legs and the ears black. Rare on the pampas, it ranges 

 from Paraguay and northern Argentina to Brazil, everywhere leading a solitary 

 existence, and preferring swampy to dry localities. The food of this wolf consists 

 chiefly of the flesh of rodent mammals, although birds, reptiles, insects, and even 

 fruit, are eaten, while occasionally sheep-folds are raided. Although called a wolf, 

 the species is an overgrown type akin to the other South American Canidce. 



The other members of the dog-family inhabiting the continent 



are smaller and more fox-like in appearance, although they are really 

 quite different from the true foxes. One of the most common is Azara's fox 



