THE JAGUAR. 43 
nearly as long as his whole body. This disproportion 
between the length of their tails affords perhaps the 
most striking distinction between the two animals, offer- 
ing, as it does, a constant and never-failing criterion ; 
whereas the difference in the marking of their furs, 
although sufficiently obvious on a close examination, 
depends almost entirely on such minute particularities 
as would probably escape the notice of a superficial 
observer, and were in fact for a long time so completely 
neglected, even by zoologists, that it is only within a 
few years that we have been again taught accurately to 
distinguish between them. ‘These particularities we shall 
now proceed to point out. 
On the whole upper surface of the body of the Jaguar 
the fur, which is short, close, and smooth, is of a bright 
yellowish fawn; passing on the throat, belly, and inside 
of the legs, into a pure white. On this ground the head, 
limbs, and under surface are covered with full black 
spots of various sizes; and the rest of the body with 
roses, either entirely bordered by a black ring or sur- 
rounded by several of the smaller black spots arranged 
in a circular form. The full spots are generally conti- 
nued upon the greater part of the tail, the tip of which 
is black, and which is also encircled near its extremity 
by three or four black rings. So far there is little to 
distinguish the marking of the Jaguar from that of the 
Leopard; we come now to the differences observable 
between them. The spots which occupy the central line 
of the back in the former are full, narrow, and elongated ; 
and the roses of the sides and haunches, which are con- 
siderably larger and proportionally less numerous than 
in the Leopard, are all ‘or nearly all marked with one or 
