78 



prey, it played with the little Indian, as our 

 cats play with birds, the wings of which have 

 been clipped, how shall we explain the patience 

 of a jaguar of large size, which sees itself pur- 

 sued by a little girl ? If the jaguar were not 

 pressed by hunger, why was it seen to approach 

 the children ? There is something mysterious in 

 the affections and hatreds of animals. We have 

 seen lions kill three or four dogs, that were put 

 into their den, and instantly caress a fifth, which, 

 less timid, took the king of animals by the 

 mane. These are instincts of which men know 

 not the secret. It would seem as if weakness 

 inspired so much the more interest, in proportion 

 as it appeared more confiding. 



We have mentioned, that domestic pigs are 

 attacked by the jaguars. There are in these 

 countries, beside the common pigs of European 

 race, several species of pecaris, or pigs with 

 lumbar glands, two of which only are known to 

 the naturalist of Europe. The Indians call the 

 little pecari (dicotiles torquatus, Cuv.) in the 

 Maypure tongue chacharo *; while they give the 

 name of apida ^ to a pig, which they say has no 



* Or paquirp, in Tamanack, whence is derived the Creole 

 word baquira, 



t Gili, vol. I, p. 252. Caulin, Histo. corog., p. 87. Gumilla, 

 vol I, p. 295. The apida is probably the great pecari of our 

 collections, or dicotiles labiatus. It is possible, that the lum- 

 bar glands are not equally apparent in all the three species 

 on the banks of the Oroonoko, the puinke, the apida or tiri- 

 gua, and the chacharo or potiche. 



