THE SIESTA. zz 



of the cat family of which he is a member, he is possessed of a most beautiful 

 coat, the fur soft and of a deep golden hue spotted with black rings. His padded 

 feet enable him to steal upon and surprise his victim, and, so great is his strength, 

 he can strike even an ox to the earth with one blow of his paw. Stealthy, cunning, 

 crafty, treacherous, he is the terror of all that live in his vicinity ; and, when urged 

 on by hunger, is not restrained by the fear of man himself, but in lieu of other food 

 will seek him also, and by a sudden spring seize upon and carry him bodily off to 

 the recesses of some tangled thicket, where pursuit would be of no avail, and there 

 enjoys without fear of interruption his horrid repast at his leisure. 



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 frequently stretches himself on some low limb and slumbers away the greater 

 portion of the day ; for, 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 below, is suddenly seized by his crafty foe and borne away in triumph. 

 As a rule the Jaguar will not attack man unless impelled as I have said by hunger, 

 or unless he finds himself hemmed in without any avenue of escape. At such times 

 he is a most formidable adversary, and the following account from the annals of 

 the Convent of San Francisco, in Santa F6, of one thus caged without power to 

 retreat, will show how terrible he is on such occasions. 



On the loth of April, a lay brother having made confession and concluded 

 his prayers, entered the sacristy. On opening the door, he was terror-stricken to 

 find himself almost face to face with a Jaguar of very extraordinary size. In a 

 moment the poor man was in the clutches of the beast, which dragged its victim 

 into a back corner to finish the bloody work. The guardian of the Convent, on 

 hearing the exclamation in the sacristy, hurried to enter the room, and had scarcely 

 become aware of what had happened before the animal leaped upon his second 

 victim, and despatched him with the same promptitude as he had the first. After 

 awhile another man attempted to enter the sacristy, but not without meeting a 

 similar fate. A senator, Mr. Irondo, tried now to approach the sacristy by an 

 adjoining back-room, which communicated with the other by a small door. The 

 Jaguar, however, had left the sacristry in the meantime through the very door 

 which Mr. Irondo wanted to pass, and before the latter, followed by a small crowd 



