102 BIG GAME FIELDS 



So much for the animal's distribution. We 

 may now note his appearance and conformation 

 compared with that of the leopard. Few animals 

 can surpass the jaguar in point of beauty, and 

 none in agility or stealth. His every motion is 

 easy and flexible in the highest degree, he bounds 

 among the rocks and trees with an agility truly 

 surprising; now stealing along the ground with 

 the silence of a snake, now crouching with fore- 

 paws extended and his head laid between them, 

 while his checkered tail twitches impatiently and 

 his eyes glare upon his expected victim. 



At first glance one might mistake the jaguar 

 for a heavily built leopard. In form the jaguar 

 is thick-set ; it does not stand as high at the shoul- 

 der as the puma, but is a far more powerful ani- 

 mal. His skull resembles that of the lion and 

 tiger, but is much broader in proportion to his 

 length, and may be identified by the presence of 

 a tubercle on the inner edge of the orbid. 



The ground color of the jaguar varies greatly, 

 ranging from grayish white to black, while the 

 rosette markings in the two extremes are but 

 faintly visible. The typical color, however, is 

 golden yellow, or a rich tan upon the head, neck, 

 body, outside of legs and tail near the root. The 

 upper part of the head and sides of the face are 



