THE JAGUAR. 47 
depths of the forest, and is scared by the most trifling 
causes. 
The Spaniards and even the native Indians appear to 
take a pleasure in hunting the Jaguar, whom they attack 
in various ways. One of the most common is to chase 
him with a numerous pack of dogs, who, although they 
dare not attack so formidable an opponent, frequently 
succeed in driving him to seek refuge on a tree or in a 
thick copse. Should he trust himself to the former, he 
is usually destroyed by the musket or the lance; but if 
he has taken covert among the bushes, it is sometimes 
difficult to aim at him with precision. In this latter 
case some of the Indians aré hardy enough to attack 
him single-handed ; a perilous exploit, which, according 
to D’Azara, they perform in the following manner. 
Armed only with a lance, of five feet in length, they 
envelope their left arm in a sheep-skin, by means of 
which they evade the first onset of the furious animal, 
and gain sufficient time to plunge their weapon into his 
body before he can turn upon them for a second attack. 
Another mode of destroying him is by means of the 
lasso; but this method can of course be employed only 
when the animal roams abroad upon the plains, or can 
be driven by the dogs into an open space fit for the 
purpose. Riding at full gallop with the lasso coiled up 
in their hands, these excellent horsemen will throw the 
noose with such certainty and precision as infallibly to 
secure their formidable enemy at the distance of a hun- 
dred paces, and to place him completely at their mercy. 
The Jaguar is generally said to be quite untameable, 
and to maintain his savage ferocity even in a state of 
captivity, showing no symptoms of attachment to those 
