46 THE TOWER MENAGERIE. 
climbing as at swimming. “TI have seen,” he says, “ 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 in height, measuring about a foot and a half in 
circumference, and clothed with branches near its sum- 
mit alone. It was easy to follow with the eye the efforts 
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.” 
Endowed with such tremendous powers it is no won- 
der that this formidable animal is regarded with terror 
by the inhabitants of the countries which he infests. He 
seldom, however, attacks the human race; although he 
does not appear to shun it with any peculiar dread. 
His onset is always made from behind, and in the same 
treacherous manner as that of all his tribe; of a herd of 
animals or of a band of men passing within his reach, he 
uniformly singles out the last as the object of his fatal 
bound. When he has made choice of his victim he 
springs upon its neck, and, placing one of his paws 
upon the back of its head while he seizes its muzzle 
with the other, twists its head round with a sudden jerk, 
which dislocates its spine and deprives it instantaneously 
of life and motion. His favourite game appears to be 
the larger quadrupeds, such as oxen, horses, sheep, and 
dogs, whom he attacks indiscriminately and almost 
always successfully, when urged by the powerful cray- 
ings of his maw. At other times he is indolent and 
cowardly, secretes himself in caverns, skulks in the 
