The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1895-05-20
THE HUNTER HUNTED.
White-Hpped Peccarics Tree a MA
IN Il BRAZILIAN Forest.

III n BRAZILIAN Forest.
While in Brazil I had one day a very
interesting adventure, which I shared
with two cats.
7 had left my Indians in camp, and was
strolling along through a partly cleared
portion of the forest. Coming into an
open glade. / saw O. little ahead a herd OF
white-lipped peccaries roofing among the
logs in search of lizards, small snakes,
beetles and other creeping things on
which these curious, hog-like creatures
feed.
Although l had not been long in the
country, / had learned that unless a safe
place of refuge be had it is dangerous
for any living thing to- NEEDLE with these
savage little beasts. But as they were
the first peccaries ! had ever seen, ] de
termined to stay and study them. So 1
slung my rifle and softly climbed up the
notch of a low-spreading tree where l
could watch the comical, tailless animals
at my ease.
By-and-by, one Of the herd-there were
about a hundred wandered away from
the rest, and came almost directly under
my perch, and began to roet up the
ground precisely like a domestic pig.
While looking down, I saw two slowly
advancing lines of wave-like motion in
the high grass between it and the forests
edge. l could not see what caused the
motions. Little by little the unseen OBJ
jects drew nearer, and / almost held my
breath waiting to see what l should see.
The lines of motion were not long enough
nor wavy enough to be made by snakes;
besides | knew that the boa constructor,
the only serpent liable to attack such
game, did moi steal upon its prey in that
All at once, at last, two spotted forms
bounded high above the grass and de-
scended on the peccary. With fierce cat.
like growls they tried to fix their teeth
and claws in it's bristly back. But the
peccary, dropping on the ground, rolled
over and over, squealing, and instantly
the whole herd came rushing up, and in
one minute would have made mince-meat
of the rash cats if they had not scurried
up a tree. This tree stood thirty feet
While the beasts were climbing the
trunk, and even after they had settled
themselves among the branches, I could
see them perfectly well, but I could not
see What they. We're. L only knew they
We're some kind of O cat. At first glance
| had thought of o~eelots. but they were
too small, not so beautiful, and not spot
ted in the same way.
But my study was cut short. The herd
Of peccaries had discovered my presence.
Perhaps connecting me with their four
footed enemies, they surrounded both
trees and began to gnaw the trunks flu
r%iously, as if bent on cutting them
49, OdS II w SoLAOSlt HdQ BOl XIX VI d
pretty fix l had not enough ammunition
TO shoot a quarter of the herd. l and
their other freed game were close prison.
ers. We might have to stay in our trees
until we persisted from thirst, or dropped
down among the beasts. To descend
alive among the peccaries would be GER
from camp, and possibly might have
called my Indians by firing afrapid sue
csssion Of shots, but all the gold of Bra
a drove of White-lnrPQ necCariagZ had
only one hope; 1t was early morning and
the day was all before. me. Perhaps the
thirsty themselves after a while and
make off.
But until they did leave, I must sit in
my tree and wait. And I did wait, hours
blazed down through my leafy screen;
waited until I would have given all l a
for a pint of water-and still the savage
peccaries kept up the siege.
BY the middle of the afternoon my
thirst became intolerable. I was in a
frenzy. It seemed the only thing to do,
my ammunition would. permit. Bringing
my rifle round l pointed it downward to
fire. At that moment an old grizzled
crowd and moved off, uttering a series of
squeaking grunts. He was instantly fol-
lowed by. the whole herd. These signals
were probably a call to some woodland
watering place, as they did not go in the
direction of the river.
h they were out of sight,
thirsty as I was, j turned my attention
to the two cats, now lazily stretched out
on a limb, and not bothering themselves
at all over the. turmoil they had raised.
In a fash I had made sure of the larger
enc. but at the crack of the rifle it's mate
leaped boldly out into space and, coming
down right side Up. bounded away.
I slid down from my roost and stripped
off the. pelt of the slain cat in great
haste, fearing the pecaries might return
after drinking. The fur vas pale yell
low above, marked by Constitutional ines
white, also marked by rows of dark
spots. But in all other respects-shape
Of head, form Of body, teeth and claws,
1t was strikingly like an ocelot.
/ got safely back to camp with the pelt,
but the Indians could not name the ami
NAL, and 1 felt that 1 had found a crea-
ture. about as rare as any 'jet-blaca
lion"
Many years afterward, in the city OF
Calcutta, / happened to pick up an Illus
trated English edition of a work on nat,
ural history by a Spanish naturalist, Dom
Felix de Azora. who had during his life
I learned that the cat which had 50
puzzled me, and the natives as well, was
tho rnjtic or ohQti-TittIA Men and WO-