The Jaguar 187 



mal bounded on one side, and cast a savage glance from 

 his round eyes — which from yellow had now become red 

 — at the curtain of willows that concealed us. Another 

 arrow, which also missed its object, the shouts of the oars- 

 men, and the epithet 'sua — sua^ double thief, which 

 Julio cried at the top of his voice, at length caused it to 

 move away." 



It is not from the jungle only, or the fringing reeds of 

 streams, from dense woodlands, or the undergrowth and 

 high grasses of those restingas (open spaces amid over- 

 grown and often submerged country), where Bates says 

 they may be most successfully hunted with beaters, that the 

 jaguar bounds upon his prey. He is by no means exclu- 

 sively a denizen of the forest, and Romain d'Aurigna,c 

 (" Trfes Ans chez les Argentins") merely expresses a com- 

 monly known fact when, speaking of the pampas, he re- 

 marks that " les jaguars . . . abondent ^galment dans ces 

 parages." On these great plains the jaguar subsists upon 

 cattle, horses, and mules, that are to be found there in im- 

 mense numbers, as well as upon those wild animals whose 

 habits of life confine them to open places. 



C. B. Brown, speaking of the causes, whatever these 

 may be, which prevent the increase of jaguars, remarks 

 that "they have no enemies." This is true in so far as 

 there is no single creature except man in those provinces 

 through which they range that willingly comes into colli- 

 sion with them. No doubt the jaguar frequently meets 

 with a violent death, however, which is not inflicted by 

 human agency. In one case that is certain ; the great ant- 

 eater, or ant-bear, has been known to kill him. Wallace 



