78 WILD ANIMALS. 



Gardens are thick, clumsy-looking creatures, but let them once be 

 roused, and they exhibit an agility that is surprising, and the 

 spectator will soon learn from the behaviour of these bad-tempered 

 cats why their species have been called the snarling jaguars. 



Jaguar-skins, as well as those of all leopards, are imported 

 annually to England in great numbers, and are worth between 

 three and four pounds. They are used for mats and rugs, and 

 also for military purposes, for the officers of certain regiments 

 have their shabraques or saddle-coverings made of this fur. 



Dr. Brehm mentions the fact that the jaguar always attacks 

 the Indians and negroes in preference to a white man. This trait 

 has been noticed in all the larger animals of the cat tribe, and was 

 well known to most of the ancient writers on Natural History. 

 Various sportsmen have also drawn attention to it, by referring to 

 the security they enjoy in consequence, for, if sleeping at night 

 in a locality rendered dangerous by these marauding beasts prowling 

 about, one of the dark-skinned natives, or hunters who accompany 

 them, are invariably selected by the man-eating lions, tigers, or 

 panthers for their victim, or, at any rate, for the object of their 

 attack. This may be due to the strong odour generally emanating 

 from the skin of the dark races born in tropical climates ; for if 

 such a one enters the Lion House in the Zoological Gardens the 

 animals seem to become excited even before they can possibly see 

 the visitor. This peculiarity was observable whenever one of the 

 attendants attached to the collection of animals brought by the 

 Prince of Wales from India which he deposited in the Gardens, 

 who was a black boy, entered the place, for all the felidce would 

 start to their feet and rush to the front of their dens, exhibiting • 

 unmistakable demonstrations of anger and ferocity. 



The puma (Felis concolor), commonly called the cougar and by 

 some the American lion, is a most graceful animal, and ranks next 

 to the jaguar in size and importance among the carnivorous 

 animals of the new world. This animal seems to be more nearly 

 related to the lynx than to the lion, tiger, or leopard, and evidently 

 forms the connection between them. 



It is confined to the American Continent, but inhabits a wide 

 geographical range from Canada to the Equatorial forests, it being 



