178 
THE JAGUAR. 
at the robber. This arrangement, however, 
was unexpectedly frustrated. While he was 
gone to prepare himself, the jaguar re¬ 
turned from the opposite side of a river, 
drew the carcass of the horse, some sixty 
paces, to the water’s edge, and then, taking 
it in his mouth, swam with it across the 
river, landed it, and drew it into a wood 
on the other side. All this took place in 
plain sight of a person whom D’Azara had 
left to watch.” 
“ I did not know that any of the cat kind 
would take to the water of their own ac¬ 
cord,” remarked Richard. 
“ The jaguar does so frequently; and it 
has even been said that he indulges in the 
amusement of fishing. He drops some of 
his spittle on the water; and, when a silly fish 
comes to see what it is, a clever blow of the 
paw lands him high and dry on the bank. 
However this may he, it is certain that he 
is a good swimmer, as the poor wood¬ 
cutters of the Parana know to their cost,— 
since several of them are killed every year 
on hoard their own vessels. He seems to 
like almost any thing in the shape of 
animal food, from horses and cattle to tur- 
