116 BIG GAME FIELDS 



a jaguar to kill one of his own kind almost in- 

 stantly by a bite through the back of the neck 

 which pierced the vertebras. The power in their 

 jaws is indeed terrific. When they have killed 

 their prey they never attend to the hindquarters 

 first, according to the custom of the tiger, but 

 tear open the under parts and eat first the heart, 

 lungs and liver, then the meat along the breast. 

 After satisfying their hunger, they sit down and 

 make their toilet, for after such butchery the 

 blood stains must be carefully removed with their 

 great, rough tongues, for they are clean, fine- 

 looking beasts ; we must at least give them credit 

 for this, even if they do kill one of us occasion- 

 ally. The great cat then retires to some nearby 

 hiding place, and if undisturbed will return to 

 its prey a little after sundown on the following 

 day. 



Conditions being favorable, the female, after 

 attaining the age of three years, brings forth 

 from two to four cubs yearly (two being the 

 usual number), which are about 100 days in ges- 

 tation, and when they are about two to three 

 weeks old are able to follow the mother. Jaguars 

 are monogamous, both the male and female as- 

 sisting in bringing up the young. At the end of 

 a year they usually shift for themselves, and it 



