EXPEDITION TO S U Pv I N A M. 49 



in America, but animals much refembiino- them, which CHAP. 



XVIIL 



go by that name. I lhall however defcribe them, from 

 actual obfervation, as I found them, and leave the reader 

 to determine whether they are tygers or not. 



The firft and largefl is that called the jaguar of Guiana. 

 This animal, which has by fome been reprefented as a de- 

 fpifeable little creature, not larger than a greyhound, is, 

 on the contrary, very fierce, flrong, and dangerous ; fome 

 of them meafuring, from the nofe to the root of the tail, 

 not lefs than fix feet : and let us not forget the print of 

 that enormous tyger's foot, feenby myfelf in the fand,near 

 Patamaca ; though it may be allowed, that creature was 

 of an extraordinary fize, and the fand very loofe. — The 

 jaguar is of a tawny orange colour, and the belly white ; 

 on the back it is fpotted with longitudinal black bars ; 



")n the fides with irregular rings, light-coloured in the 

 center ; and all over the reft of the body, and the tail, the 

 . fpots are fmaller, and perfe6tly black : its iliape is in every 



enfe like that of the African tyger, and being all of the 

 cat kind, they need no particular defcription ; but their 

 fize and ftrength being fo much greater than that little 

 domeftic animal, they devour a fl^ieep, or a goat, with 

 the fame facility as a cat would kill a moufe or a rat ; 

 nay, cows and horfes are not protected from their at- 

 tacks, for thefe they frequently kill on the plantations ; 

 and though they cannot carry them off into the foreft on 

 account of their weight, they tear and mangle them in a 

 dreadful manner, only for the fake of the blood, with 

 Vol. 11. H which 



