64 A JAGUAR-HUNT ON THE TAQUARY 



covered with coarse black hair, save for a couple of 

 white stripes ; it has a long, bushy tail and very powerful 

 claws on its fore-feet. It walks on the sides of its fore- 

 feet, with these claws curved in under the foot. The 

 claws are used in digging out ant-hills ; but the beast 

 has courage, and in a grapple is a rather unpleasant 

 enemy, in spite of its toothless mouth, for it can strike a 

 formidable blow with these claws. It sometimes hugs 

 a foe, gripping him tight ; but its ordinary method of 

 defending itself is to strike with its long, stout, curved 

 claws, which, driven by its muscular forearm, can rip 

 open man or beast. Several of our companions had had 

 dogs killed by these ant-eaters ; and we came across one 

 man with a very ugly scar down his back where he had 

 been hit by one, which charged him when he came up 

 to kiU it at close quarters. 



As soon as we saw the giant tamandua we pushed off 

 in a rowboat, and landed only a couple of hundred yards 

 distant from our clumsy quarry. The tamandua through- 

 out most of its habitat rarely leaves the forest, and it is 

 a helpless animal in the open plain. The two dogs ran 

 ahead, followed by Colonel Rondon and Kermit, with 

 me behind carrying the rifle. In a minute or two the 

 hounds overtook the cantering, shuffling creature, and 

 promptly began to fight with it. The combatants were 

 so mixed up that I had to wait another minute or so 

 before I could fire without risk of hitting a dog. We 

 carried our prize back to the bank and hoisted it aboard 

 the steamer. The sun was just about to set, behind dim 

 mountains, many miles distant across the marsh. 



Soon afterward we reached one of the out-stations of 

 the huge ranch we were about to visit, and hauled up 

 alongside the bank for the night. There was a landing- 

 place, and sheds and corrals. Several of the peons or 



