190 



THE PAMPAS CAT. 



nothing so well as a plump fowl, and is unceasing in its visits to the henroost. It is so 

 active and lithe an animal that it can climb over any palisade, and insinuate itself through 

 a surprisingly small aperture ; and it is so wary and cautious in its nocturnal raids, that 

 it generally gives no indication of its movements but that which is left next morning 

 by the vacant perches, and a few scattered feathers flecked with blood-spots. 



During the day it keeps itself closely hidden in the dark shades of the forests, sleeping 

 away its time until the sun has set, and darkness reigns over its world. It then awakes 

 from its slumber, and issues forth upon its destructive quest. On moonlight nights, how- 

 ever, it either stays at home, or confines its depredations to the limits of its native woods, 

 never venturing near the habitations of man. Stormy and windy nights are the best 

 adapted for its purpose,' as it is sheltered from sight by the darkness, and from hearing, 

 by the rushing wind, which drowns the slight sounds of its stealthy footsteps. On 

 such nights it behoves the farmer to keep a twofold watch, and see well to his doors 

 and windows, or he may chance to find an empty henroost in the morning. 



In two years, no less than eighteen of these animals were caught by a land-owner 

 within a space of five miles round his farm, so that their numbers must be truly great. 

 They do not congregate together, but live in pairs, each pair seeming to appropriate its 

 own hunting-ground. 



In captivity it is a singularly gentle, and even affectionate, animal, possessed of most 

 engaging habits, and full of pretty graceful tricks. One of these creatures, which was 

 captured by the above-mentioned land-owner, became so entirely domesticated that it 

 was permitted to range at liberty. But, although so gentle and tractable towards its 

 owner that it would sleep on the skirts of its master's gown, its poultry-loving habits 

 were too deeply implanted to be thoroughly eradicated, and it was quietly destructive 

 among his neighbors' fowls. This propensity cost the creature its life, for the irritated 

 farmers caught it in the very deed of robbing their hen-roosts, and killed it on the 

 spot. 



The native name for the Chati is Chibiguazu. It was found by experimenting on the 

 captured Chatis, that the flesh of cats and of various reptiles was harmful to their con- 

 stitution. Cat's-flesh gave them a kind of a mange, which soon killed them, while that 

 of snakes, vipers, and toads caused a continual and violent vomiting, under which they 

 lost flesh and died. Fowls however, and most birds, were ravenously devoured, being 

 caught by the head, and killed by a bite and a shake. The Chatis always stripped the 

 feathers from the birds before beginning to eat them. 



FROM the shorter heads, and other characteristics of the last few animals, it will be 

 seen that we are rapidly approaching that type of the feline nature with which we are so 

 familiar in the domestic cat. The PAMPAS CAT might easily be mistaken for a rather 

 large domestic cat which had run at large for some time, and assumed the fierce, suspi- 

 cious demeanor of the wild animal. 



Its general color is a yellowish gray, something like the tint which we call " sandy," 

 when it belongs to the fur of a domestic cat or the scalp of a human being. The body 

 is covered with numerous brown stripes, admixed with yellow, which run at a very small 

 angle with the line of the body. On each side of the face two bold streaks are drawn 

 from the eye over the cheeks, the lower stripe running round the neck, and uniting with 

 the corresponding stripe of the opposite side. Two or three dark streaks appear across 

 the upper portion of the legs. The depth of tint appears to be variable in different in- 

 dividuals, and the markings present slight discrepancies. 



The fur of the Pampas Cat is extremely long, some of the hairs reaching a length of 

 five inches. The tail is not very long, is well covered with bushy hair, and is devoid of 

 the ring-like markings which are found in the same member in the ocelots. 



The natives of Buenos Ayres and its vicinity name the Pampas Cat " Gato Pajero," the 

 former word signifying a cat, and the latter being formed from the Spanish term " paja," 

 or straw. It is so called because it frequents the jungles or reeds, and by the English 

 residents is often termed the Jungle Cat. It is spread over a very large space of country, 

 being found on the whole of the Pampas which are spread on the eastern side of South 

 America, a range of some fourteen hundred miles. The food of the Pampas Cat consists 



