591 



the common jaguars, and ? form another race.*' 

 I believe, that Prince Maximilian of Neuwied, 

 who has enriched American zoology by so many 

 important observations, acquired the same no- 

 tions farther to the south, in the hot part of 

 Brazil. Albino varieties of the jaguar have 

 been seen in Paraguay : for the spots of these 

 animals, which might be called the beautiful 

 panthers of America, are sometimes so pale, as 

 to be scarcely distinguishable on a very white 

 ground. In the black jaguars, on the contrary, 

 it is the colour of the ground that makes the 

 spots disappear. It requires to have lived long 

 in those countries, and to have accompanied the 

 Indians of Esmeralda in the perilous chace of 

 the tiger, to pronounce with certainty upon the 

 varieties and the species. In all the mammiferse, 

 and particularly in the numerous family of the 

 peas, we ought, I believe, to fix our attention 

 less on the passage from one colour to another 

 in the individuals, than on their habit of sepa- 

 rating themselves, and forming distinct bands. 



May the 24th. We left our resting place 

 before sunrise. In a rocky cove, which had 

 been the dwelling of gome Durimundi Indians, 

 the aromatic odour of the plants was so power- 

 ful, that, although sleeping in the open air, and 

 having our nervous system rendered little irrit- 

 able, in consequence of the habits of a life ex- 

 posed to fatigues, we were incommoded by it. 



