The Jaguar 189 



namely, that animals employed in this way, and in fact the 

 whole canine family in those latitudes where these animals 

 are found, stand in mortal fear of them. He admits, how- 

 ever, that the ordinary Indian dog will not keep upon a 

 tiger's trail without constant encouragement, and that they 

 never close with them. After having been barked at, one 

 can hardly say chased, for a certain distance, this lazy, 

 short-winded brute gets into some large tree and tries to 

 conceal himself, while the curs yelp around it until their 

 noise brings the huntsmen to the spot. That is the theory 

 of this proceeding, but practically it does not work, and 

 few jaguars are killed in this manner. Following up a 

 tiger with dogs just in front — for they will not, as a rule, 

 keep upon the trail by themselves — does well enough to 

 talk about ; but when the place where this is to be done is 

 a tropical forest, it will be found impossible to put in prac- 

 tice. If the beast were not disposed to come to bay, it 

 might easily get through mazes impenetrable to men, and 

 go its way along paths by which its pursuers could not fol- 

 low. There is a breed called " tiger dogs " in Mexico and 

 Central America, but the author has never seen them at 

 work, and also knows that the tigreros, or professional 

 tiger-hunters of those parts, kill most of their game with- 

 out such aid. 



Jaguars are constantly seen abroad by day in remote 

 regions ; but from the reports of native hunters, and on 

 the ground of personal observation, the author is inclined 

 to believe that their roar is seldom heard except at night. 

 Waterton speaks of it as an " awfully fine " sound, and 

 says that "it echoed among the hills like distant thunder." 



