38 



THE JAGUAR. 



many more than he can devour at one meal, the 

 Indians often profit by his dexterious cunning. 

 He will, it is stated, pursue tliis persecuted race 

 into the water, wliere it is not very deep, and will 

 dig up and devour the eggs. 



Humboldt also tells a little story which would 

 seem to suggest that like the Cat and the Dog, 

 and many other animals, indeed, this ferocjous 

 Jaguar feels a certain gentleness toward little 

 children : 



" Two Indian children, a girl and a boy, the 

 one about seven, and the other about nine years 

 old, were at play on the outskirts of a village, 

 about two o'clock in the afternoon, when a large 

 Jaguar came out of the woods bounding towards 

 them playfully, his head down and his back 

 arched, like a Cat. He approached the boy, who 

 was not sensible of his danger, and began to play 

 witli liim, till at last the Jaguar struck him so 

 hard on his head with his paw as to draw blood, 

 whereupon the little girl struck him smartly witji 

 a small switch, and he was bounding back not at 

 all irritated, when the Indians, alarmed by the 

 cries of the girl, came up." 



The Jaguar is nocturnal in his habits, and, like 

 all dwellers of the tropics, whether man or beast, 

 is accustomed to pass the sultry hours of the day 

 asleep. 



He likes to lie at the foot of a tree, and sharpen 

 his claws by scratching it, as you have seen Pussy 

 do on the legs of a chair when lying on the rug. 

 He loves the great woods by the side of large 

 rivers, whicli he swims across as easily as he can 

 climb a tree, and where he often basks upon the 

 bank, and pleases himself with catching Fish, of 

 which he is very fond. 



When weary of that, he stretches himself on 

 some low limb overhanging some cool placid 

 river, and slumbers away the greater portion of 



the day. Like all Cats, he is a great climber, 

 his sharp claws enabling him to ascend trees with 

 great facility. 



Many an unfortunate Monkey, who may be 

 sitting in fancied security upon his beloved 

 perch, chattering and grimacing at the world be- 

 low, is suddenly seized by his crafty foe and 

 borne away in triumph. 



He is said to make his attacks by springing 

 on the neck of his prey ; then placing one of his 

 paws on the back of his head, while he turns 

 round the muzzle with the other, he dislocates 

 the neck and deprives it of life. 



He,, in his turn, falls a victim to man. The 

 Spaniards and Indians hurt him in various ways. 

 Sometimes he is driven by Dogs " to tree," in 

 which case he is dispatched with the musket or 

 lance ; sometimes the pack force him among the 

 bushes, and then is exhibited, sometimes, a dar- 

 ing feat. 



A single Indian, with his left arm enveloped 

 in a sheep:skin, and with a five feet lance in his 

 right, goes boldly up to him. The hunter parries 

 the onset of the furious beast with the shielded 

 arm, and at the same time deals him such a 

 thrust with his lance as seldom requires being 

 repeated. The lasso is also used with the best 

 effect upon the plains. 



Fortunately the solitary animal is only to 

 be met with ; it is not generally in the habit of 

 going in troops, but as soon as it is old enough 

 to kill its own prey, it leaves the company of its 

 kind and leads a solitary existence. 



Were it accustomed to hunt in numbers, as do 

 Wolves, it would soon extinguish every living 

 quadruped within the country it inhabits ; for 

 its powers of scent, stealthy approach, crafty dis- 

 position, fertility in resources of overreaching its 

 prey, and the capability of ascending trees as 



