﻿RIVERS 
  AS 
  FACTORS 
  IN 
  ANIMAL 
  DISTRIBUTION. 
  185 
  

  

  have 
  regular 
  starting 
  and 
  landing 
  places."* 
  The 
  Jaguar 
  (Fells 
  

   onca) 
  has 
  been 
  observed 
  crossing 
  the 
  La 
  Plata 
  River 
  by 
  Lieut. 
  

   Page.t 
  Paul 
  Fountain 
  states 
  that 
  all 
  the 
  large 
  Cat-like 
  

   animals 
  readily 
  take 
  to 
  the 
  water, 
  " 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  quite 
  the 
  element 
  

   of 
  the 
  Jaguar. 
  I 
  have 
  never 
  seen 
  these 
  animals 
  far 
  from 
  the 
  

   river, 
  and 
  a 
  thickly 
  wooded 
  island 
  in 
  the 
  midst 
  of 
  the 
  stream 
  is 
  

   their 
  favourite 
  haunt." 
  + 
  In 
  Africa, 
  according 
  to 
  Mr. 
  F. 
  V. 
  

   Kirby, 
  "Leopards 
  take 
  to 
  water 
  very 
  readily, 
  and 
  swim 
  well. 
  I 
  

   once 
  saw 
  one 
  swim 
  across 
  a 
  river, 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  fully 
  thirty 
  

   yards. 
  "§ 
  In 
  North 
  America 
  the 
  Black 
  Bear 
  was 
  seen 
  by 
  Hearne 
  

   swimming 
  for 
  hours 
  with 
  widely 
  open 
  mouth, 
  thus 
  catching, 
  

   almost 
  like 
  a 
  Whale, 
  insects 
  in 
  the 
  water." 
  || 
  

  

  Elephants 
  are 
  well-known 
  swimmers. 
  Dr. 
  Schweinfurth 
  

   relates 
  that 
  six 
  Indian 
  ones 
  were 
  sent 
  by 
  the 
  Khedive 
  Ismail 
  

   from 
  Cairo 
  to 
  the 
  Sudan. 
  They 
  travelled 
  the 
  long 
  distance 
  of 
  

   two 
  thousand 
  miles 
  uninjured, 
  " 
  swimming 
  the 
  Nile 
  six 
  times. 
  "U 
  

   Sir 
  S. 
  Baker 
  saw 
  Elephants 
  cross 
  the 
  Brahmaputra 
  when 
  the 
  

   channel 
  was 
  about 
  a 
  mile 
  in 
  width.** 
  Mr. 
  Gould 
  mentions 
  a 
  

   Kangaroo 
  which 
  swam 
  for 
  two 
  miles 
  through 
  the 
  sea, 
  one 
  mile 
  

   being 
  against 
  a 
  sharp 
  wind 
  and 
  heavy 
  waves. 
  ft 
  The 
  Guanaco, 
  

  

  * 
  'Natural 
  Science,' 
  vol. 
  vi. 
  p. 
  89. 
  — 
  The 
  Tiger 
  is, 
  however, 
  absent 
  from 
  

   Ceylon, 
  and 
  has 
  not 
  crossed 
  the 
  narrow 
  strait 
  which 
  separates 
  that 
  island 
  from 
  

   the 
  mainland. 
  Mr. 
  Hornaday 
  thus 
  accounts 
  for 
  its 
  absence 
  : 
  — 
  " 
  It 
  certainly 
  

   was 
  not 
  the 
  width 
  of 
  the 
  strait 
  which 
  hindered 
  its 
  immigration, 
  and 
  the 
  

   inhabitants 
  of 
  Ceylon 
  have 
  to 
  thank 
  their 
  lucky 
  stars 
  that 
  the 
  two 
  long 
  arms 
  

   which 
  in 
  reality 
  connect 
  the 
  island 
  and 
  the 
  peninsula 
  are 
  barren 
  wastes 
  of 
  

   sand 
  instead 
  of 
  being 
  covered 
  with 
  thick 
  jungle. 
  Had 
  there 
  been 
  sufficient 
  

   vegetation 
  upon 
  them 
  to 
  afford 
  cover 
  for 
  the 
  Tiger, 
  or 
  encourage 
  his 
  migra- 
  

   tion, 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  doubt 
  that 
  the 
  island 
  would 
  now 
  be 
  infested 
  by 
  these 
  

   dangerous 
  beasts" 
  ('Two 
  Years 
  in 
  the 
  Jungle,' 
  p. 
  252). 
  Jungle, 
  however, 
  is 
  

   not 
  an 
  absolute 
  necessity 
  for 
  the 
  Tiger 
  as 
  Mr. 
  Hornaday's 
  remarks 
  might 
  

   lead 
  one 
  to 
  suppose. 
  In 
  the 
  Himalayan 
  regions 
  its 
  footprints 
  are 
  sometimes 
  

   found 
  impressed 
  in 
  the 
  fields 
  of 
  snow, 
  whilst 
  it 
  is 
  also 
  an 
  inhabitant 
  of 
  the 
  

   plains 
  of 
  Manchuria 
  and 
  the 
  Amoor 
  region, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  of 
  the 
  plains 
  lying 
  

   north 
  of 
  the 
  Hindu-Kush. 
  

  

  t 
  Cf. 
  Heilprin, 
  ' 
  Geogr. 
  and 
  Geol. 
  Distr. 
  Animals,' 
  p. 
  42. 
  

   + 
  ' 
  The 
  Great 
  Mountains 
  and 
  Forests 
  of 
  S. 
  America,' 
  p. 
  68. 
  

   § 
  ' 
  In 
  Haunts 
  of 
  Wild 
  Game,' 
  p. 
  380. 
  

   II 
  Cf. 
  Darwin, 
  ' 
  Origin 
  of 
  Species,' 
  6th 
  edit. 
  p. 
  141. 
  

   IF 
  Cf. 
  note, 
  'Emin 
  Pasha 
  in 
  Central 
  Africa,' 
  p. 
  390. 
  

   ** 
  ' 
  Wild 
  Beasts 
  and 
  their 
  Ways,' 
  vol. 
  i. 
  p. 
  43. 
  

   if 
  Cf 
  'Bush 
  Wanderings 
  of 
  a 
  Naturalist,' 
  by 
  an 
  Old 
  Bushman, 
  p. 
  4. 
  

  

  