238 THE JAGUAR. 



guished by the full, narrow, and elongated spots which occupy 

 the central line of the back j and the handsome marks, or roses, 

 as they are termed, on the sides and haunches, are. much larger 

 and less numerous than in the leopard, and all or nearly all 

 of them possess one, sometimes two black spots of smaller size 

 towards the centre. 



The jaguar is a most excellent swimmer : Captain J. E. 

 Alexander says, it occasionally swims over the river Essequibo. 

 A circumstance related by D'Azara, and which fell partly under 

 his observation, will give some idea of its aquatic exploits, as 

 well as of its extraordinary strength 5 namely, that a jaguar, 

 after having attacked and killed a horse, carried the body of 

 its victim for about sixty paces to the bank of a broad and 

 deep river, over which it swam with it, and then dragged it 

 into an adjoining wood. 



According to Sonnini, the jaguar is also an expert climber 

 of trees. " I have seen," says he, " in the forests of Guiana, 

 the prints left by the claws of the jaguar on the smooth bark 

 of a tree from forty to fifty feet high, measuring about a foot 

 and a half in circumference, and clothed with branches near 

 its summit alone. It was easy to follow with the eye the eiforts 

 which the animal had made to reach the branches : although 

 his talons had been thrust deeply into the body of the tree, he 

 had met with several slips, but he had always recovered his 

 ground, and, attracted no doubt by some favourite object of 

 prey, had at length succeeded in gaining the very top." 



Horses, oxen, sheep, capibaras, and dogs, are the usual prey 

 of the jaguar. In Guiana it has been known to enter houses, 

 and carry away the dogs from the fire-side. It is said to be very 

 partial to the flesh of the alligator, and to attack and overcome 

 that reptile. Mr. Mawe says, that in Paraguay it seeks turtles, 

 and, turning them on their backs, makes a meal of them. It 

 has been often said, that the jaguar catches fish by spitting on 

 the water to entice them to the surface, and that when they 

 approach this floating bait, the ingenious animal, with one 

 dexterous stroke of his paw, knocks them out of their element 5 



