THE JAGUAR. 175 



the Jaguar delighted in sticking its talons into the clothes of its human playfellows 

 and tearing them in a disastrous manner. The creature was so amusing that no one 

 could resist the temptation of playing with it, and so the evil was remedied by docking 

 the " Doctor's claws of their sharp points. 



" This animal was about two years old when it was brought to England, and died but 

 very lately. Two years after its arrival, Captain Inglefield went to see his old favorite, 

 the " Doctor," and found that the Jaguar recognized him in spite of the long interval 

 of time, and permitted him to pat his head and to open its mouth. 



In its native land, the Jaguar ranges the dense and perfumed forests in search of 

 the various creatures which fall victims to its powerful claws. The list of animals, 

 that compose its bill of fare is a large and comprehensive one, including horses, deer, 

 monkeys, capybaras, tapirs, birds of various kinds, turtles, lizards, and fish ; thus com- 

 prising examples of all the four orders of vertebrated animals. Nor does the Jaguar 

 confine itself to the vertebrates. Various shell-fish, insects, and other creatures fall 

 victims to the insatiate appetite of this ravenous animal. 



It seems strange that such powerful creatures as horses should be reckoned among 

 the prey of the Jaguar, for it would seem unlikely that the muscular force of the animal 

 could be equal to the task of destroying and carrying away so large a quadruped as a 

 horse. Yet such is truly the case ; and the Jaguars commit infinite havoc among 

 the horses that band together in large herds on the plains of Paraguay. A Jaguar has 

 been known to swim across a wide river, to kill a horse, to drag it for some sixty yards 

 to the water side, to plunge it into the stream, to swim across the river with its prey, 

 to drag it out of the water after reaching the opposite bank, and, finally, to carry it off 

 into a neighboring wood. The natives of the country where the Jaguar lives assert 

 that even when two horses have been fastened to each other, the Jaguar has been known 

 to kill one of them, and to drag off the living and the dead horse in spite of the strength 

 of the survivor. 



These seem to be marvellous exploits, when the ordinary size of the Jaguar is taken 

 into consideration. But Humboldt, than who is no better or more trustworthy authority, 

 says that he has seen a Jaguar, " which in length surpassed that of all the tigers of 

 India which I had seen in the collection of Europe." 



The favorite food of the Jaguar when he can get it is the flesh of the various mon- 

 keys. But to catch a monkey is not the easiest task in the world, and in general can 

 only be achieved by leaping upon the prey from a place of concealment, or by sur- 

 prising the monkeys while sleeping. Sometimes it is fortunate enough to get among a 

 little band of monkeys before they are aware of the presence of the dreaded foe, and 

 then seizes the opportunity of dealing a few fierce strokes of its terrible paw among 

 the partly-awakened sleepers, thus dashing them to the ground, whither it descends to 

 feast at leisure on the ample repast. The fierce hoarse roar of the Jaguar and the 

 yells of terror that come from the frightened monkeys resound far and wide, and pro- 

 claim in unmistakable language the deadly work that is going on among the trees. 



Peccaries are also a favorite article of diet with the Jaguar, but he finds scarcely less 

 difficulty in picking up a peccary than in knocking down a monkey . For the little, 

 active, sharp -tusked peccary is even more swinishly dull than is usual even with its 

 swinish relatives, and being too thick-headed to understand danger, is a very terrible 

 antagonist to man or beast. It seems to care nothing for size, weapons, or strength, 

 but launches itself as fearlessly on a Jaguar or an armed man as on a rabbit or a child. 

 So, unless the Jaguar can manage quietly to snap up a straggler, he has small chance 

 with a herd of these warlike little pigs, which, if they caught a Jaguar among them, 

 would cut him so severely with their lancet-like teeth, that he would ever repent his 

 temerity, even if he escaped with his life. 



One of the easiest animals to obtain is that huge and timid rodent, the capybara, 

 which is not sufficiently swift of foot to escape by flight, nor agile of limb to bound out 

 of reach of its enemy, nor furnished with natural arms with which to defend itself 

 against his assaults. Should it take to the water, and so endeavor to elude pursuit, 

 the Jaguar is in nowise disconcerted, for he is nearly as familiar with that element as 

 the capybara itself, and thus seldom fails in securing his prey. When the Jaguar 



