Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1893-06-15
THE AMERICAN TIGER.
Interesting Pen Pictures of the Tawr
To

Interesting Pen Pictures of the Tawny
Jaguars-
~We measured the jaguar, an old
male, before taking off the skin; five
feet and seven inches from nose to root
of tail; the tail added would bring the
total length to nearly eight feet. This
was a good deal above the average,
though have seen skins quite six feet
long, not including the tail. The body
weighed, suppose, not less than three
hundred pounds This was the variety
of species called cangussu by the hunt
ers of Matte Crosse; on the Amazons it
is the uriauara, or dog-jaguar. All
over South America three kinds of
jaguars are distinguished; naturalists
at present regard them as varieties,
but 1 confess 1 am inclined to side with
the writer's who laugh at the idea that
these three are the same. The cangus-
su-the kind Bert had SHOTS confined
to the higher lands. never straying over
the great swamps of the Amazons and
Paraguay.
1.-The ground color is pale tawny, al
most white at times, and is irregularly
covered with small black spots, which
tend to run into stripes along the back.
Besides having longer legs and tail, it
is altogether more slender animal
than the onca pintada, called by the
Amazonian Indians youarete-pacora-
sororoca, or 'jaguar of the wild plant
ain,' because it frequents swampy
places where that plant grows. This is
the common jaguar of the great river
plains, though also seen on the high
lands. 1t has deep tawny coat, with
large black spots so arranged that they
form little circles or roses on the sides,
but sometimes run into stripes on the
back. The onca pintada often attacks
alligatars and turtles and it lives
largely on fish. There is curious
story about the jaguar's fishing, which
many travellers have told, though most
discredit it.
81 have heard it from reliable woods
men, who say they have watched the
whole performance; and for myself, 1
can see nothing incredible in it. The
jaguar, it is said, lies on projected log
and strikes the water gently with its
tail; certain fruit-eating fish, as the
pacu, come to the sound. imagining
that a fruit has dropped into the water,
and the jaguar scoops them out with
his paw. That these fish follow sound
l know, for l have often caught pacuS
with palm-nut bait. dropping it gently
on the water two or three times; the fish,
attracted by the noise, soon appear,
and even leap after the fruit as trout
leap to fly. This is the common
method of pacu-fshing on the Para
quay, and very good sport it is
''The oncas pintadas swim well, as l
can attest. l have seen one swimming
across the River Cuyaba where it is a
quarter of mile broad. 1t is said that
they can cross even the Paraguay and
AmazonS.
1.-The third variety or species is the
black tiger very rare on the Matte
Crosse highlands. but common in the
Amazonian and Orinoco forests This
is the largest and fercest of all At
first sight the skin appears quite black;
but on closer inspection still darker
spots, similar to those of the onca
pintada, can be distinguished.
81 may add here that the puma-or
North American species-is also found
all over South America, and in many
places it is very common. 1t is a pest
to the cattlemen, from its propensity
for carrying off young calves; but
otherwise it is little feared, and for size
and fierceneSs will bear no comparison
with the jaguars- South America has
also number of smaller species, rang
ing from the spotted jaguartirica,
nearly as large as a puma, down to the
little gray and striped kinds hardly
bigger than domestic cat. st. Mich
OlaS