126 



THE BEASTS OF PREY. 



perceived a Jaguar on the bank of the river. We 

 approached him and hid ourselves so as to observe 

 what he was about. He had crouched down on a 

 little projection of the bank, where the current was 

 swift, and where a kind of fish called " Dorado " 

 was likely to be found. He did not take his eye off 

 the water, but sometimes bent forward a little, as if 

 he wanted to pry into the very depths of the water. 

 In about a quarter of an hour I saw him strike at 

 something with his paw, and then he threw a fish on 

 the ground. It will be seen, therefore, that he fishes 

 exactly like our domestic Cat. 



When the Jaguar has killed a small animal he eats 

 it immediately, including the skin and bones ; but of 

 large prey, like Horses and Cows, he eats only a 

 part, without showing special partiality for any par- 

 ticular piece ; but he leaves the entrails of these ani- 

 mals untouched. After the meal he retires into the 

 forest, usually not over a mile from the place where 

 he has eaten, and goes to sleep. In the evening, or 

 on the following morning, he returns to his prey, 

 makes another meal from it and leaves the remainder 

 to Vultures. 



It is Rengger's opinion that a Jaguar never eats 

 more than twice of an animal he has killed, and never 

 touches the carcasses of animals that are dead when 

 he finds them. He never kills more than one animal 

 at a single onslaught, and in this he distinguishes 

 himself greatly to his advantage, as compared with 

 other large Felidae. 



Jaguars not A Jaguar which has not yet made 



Usually Danger- the acquaintance of Man, avoids him 

 ous to Man. respectfully, and regards him curi- 

 ously at a distance. There is no instance on record 

 of a Jaguar having killed a Man in a forest. Only 

 those Jaguars living in populated districts, or near 

 rivers on which there is much navigation, lose their 

 fear of Man and attack him. Traditional stories are 

 current that Jaguars have been known to enter boats 

 tied to the bank at night and carry away meat or 

 Dogs, and even kill sailors ; but as a general thing it 

 is only imprudent people who lose their lives from 

 attacks of Jaguars, and cautious ones find it not diffi- 

 cult to save themselves from these animals. It is 

 a noticeable fact that the Jaguar differs from some 

 of the other large feline animals in having no fear 

 whatever of fire. 



Sounds Made The much talked of "roar" of the 

 by the Jaguar cannot be a very impressive 



Jaguar. sound. Former travelers have either 

 selected the word too carelessly, or else they have 

 mistaken the noises made by other animals for his. 

 The unrecognized sounds of a strange and unknown 

 environment also may have impressed them in too 

 high a measure. Modern travelers know nothing 

 about this roar. Like the Panther and Tiger, the 

 Jaguar is a silent animal ; it is not often that he 

 growls, grunts, howls, or utters a cry that would ap- 

 propriately befit a Cat of his size. 



Habits and The Jaguar remains in one locality 

 Wanderings of as long as there is anything left for 

 the Jaguar, him to prey upon and he is not an- 

 noyed too much. When food becomes scarce, or 

 pursuit waxes hot, he leaves the neighborhood and 

 emigrates to other haunts. His journey is made dur- 

 ing the night. He goes through the most densely 

 populated localities and swims across the widest 

 rivers in his migration, daunted by nothing. 



Rengger writes : "The yearly swelling of streams 

 and rivers drives the Jaguars away from the islands 

 and wooded shores, and causes them to come nearer 



settlements ; as a consequence they do more mis- 

 chief during this season. If the inundation is great, 

 one may not infrequently see a Jaguar in a town or 

 a village situated on the high bank of a river. His 

 appearance is not always attended by damage, for 

 the barking of the Dogs and thronging of people 

 bewilder the animal so much that he looks about for 

 a place of concealment. The wounds inflicted by a 

 Jaguar are always dangerous, not only because of 

 their depth, but also because of their character. 

 Neither his teeth nor his claws are very sharp or 

 pointed, and so every wound combines bruising with 

 laceration." 



The Female During the greater part of the year the 



Jaguar and Jaguar, as Rengger's observations show, 

 her Cubs. ij ves alone, and only in the months of 

 August and September do the two sexes seek each 

 other's companionship. A litter of young Jaguars 

 consists of two or sometimes three cubs, the mother 

 selecting the most impenetrable thicket of the forest 

 or a pit under a half uprooted tree for a den for her- 

 self and children. During the first days the mother 

 does not leave her young ones, unless it be for a 

 very short time, and when she believes them to be in 

 danger she carries them in her mouth into another 

 den. Her motherly love is said to be very great ; 

 she defends the young ones with a kind of frenzy, 

 and if one of them be kiljed or captured she pursues 

 their assailant for hours. 



Young Jaguars are often brought up in households. 

 For this purpose they must be captured while they 

 still live on their mother's milk, for otherwise it is 

 too late to tame them. They play with Cats and 

 Dogs and show a particular fondness for wooden 

 balls. Their movements are easy and lively. They 

 know their keeper perfectly and after a separation 

 show pleasure in seeing him again. As soon as they 

 become conscious of their power, which is about the 

 third year, they do not fail to use their strength to 

 the great inconvenience of their owner. It is use- 

 less to file off their canine and incisor teeth to the 

 roots and to cut their fangs from time to time, for 

 they are so strong that they can do a great deal of 

 mischief without these weapons. While they are 

 young they can be kept in check by blows, but later 

 it is very difficult to master them. Generosity and 

 gratitude are emotions unknown to the Jaguar ; he 

 shows no permanent attachment for his keeper, nor 

 for any animal that has been brought up with him, 

 and therefore there is great risk in keeping him out- 

 side of a cage after he is a year old. 



Methods The Jaguar is constantly pursued 



of Hunting the and hunted in all possible ways be- 

 Jaguar. cause of his harmfulness. In South 



America the Indians use arrows poisoned with the 

 deadly Urari. Besides this method there is a much 

 bolder proceeding: the sportsman wraps his left arm 

 in a sheep-skin and procures a two-edged knife, 

 about two feet long. Accompanied by two or three 

 Dogs he then sets out in search of the Jaguar, 

 which, when found, attacks the Dogs. Then the 

 sportsman approaches and excites him by words or 

 gestures. The animal makes for the Man with wide- 

 open mouth, approaching on his hind legs like a 

 Bear. The hunter presents his protected arm to the 

 claws of the Jaguar, and, bending a little to the 

 right, thrusts the knife into his left side. 



The natives of Paraguay attack the Jaguar on 

 horseback, using a lasso ; they throw it around his 

 neck and then gallop away dragging him behind 

 them and sometimes strangling him with the aid of 



