80 A JAGUAR-HUNT ON THE TAQUARY 



of their habitual food, and a big jaguar when hungry 

 will attack and kill large caymans and crocodiles if he 

 can get them a few yards from the water. On these 

 marshes the jaguars also followed the peccary herds ; it 

 is said that they always strike the hindmost of a band of 

 the fierce little wild pigs. Elsewhere they often prey 

 on the tapir. If in timber, however, the jaguar must 

 kill it at once, for the squat, thick-skinned, wedge- 

 shaped tapir has no respect for timber, as Colonel 

 Rondon phrased it, and rushes with such bhnd, head- 

 long speed through and among branches and trunks 

 that if not immediately kiUed it brushes the jaguar 

 off, the claws leaving long raking scars in the tough 

 hide. Cattle are often kiUed. The jaguar wiU not 

 meddle with a big bull ; and is cautious about attacking 

 a herd accompanied by a buU ; but it wUl at times, 

 where wild game is scarce, kill every other domestic 

 animal. It is a thirsty brute, and if it kiUs far from 

 water will often drag its victim a long distance toward 

 a pond or stream ; Colonel Rondon had once come 

 across a horse which a jaguar had thus kUled and 

 dragged for over a mile. Jaguars also stalk and kill 

 the deer ; in this neighbourhood they seemed to be less 

 habitual deer-hunters than the cougars ; whether this is 

 generally the case I cannot say. They have been known 

 to pounce on and devour good-sized anacondas. 



In this particular neighbourhood the ordinary jaguars 

 molested the cattle and horses hardly at aU except now 

 and then to kill calves. It was only occasionally that 

 under special circumstances some old male took to 

 cattle-killing. There were plenty of capybaras and 

 deer, and evidently the big spotted cats preferred the 

 easier prey when it was available ; exactly as in East 

 Airica we found the lions living almost exclusively on 



