Los Angeles herald., 1906-11-18
Copyright by James Elverson.


bles the leopard in color, except
that it has a black streak across
GrN,SN! the chest and a black spot in the
INsS&ay middle of each of the patches on its
side. 1t is larger and stronger and
belongs to South America, where it frequents
the wooded banks of rivers and lakes; pecu-
liarity being its fondness for fish, which leads
it into the water, where its supple paw en-
ables it to flip out anv number from the
overstocked waters of that county.
The animal is so powerfully built that he
shows an utter lack of that grace OF movement
SO marked in the tiger and leopard; The
body is thicker, the limbs shorter and fuller
than those of the latter, and the tail scarcely
touches the earth when the animal stands
erect. When full grown, it frequently meas
a most expert climber, and Sonnini saw the
scratches left by its claws forty feet above
ground, where it was without the assistance
of limbs OF any protuberance in making its
way upward
Possessing such prodigious muscular power,
the jaguar becomes the terror of the forests
in which it makes its haunts. 1t takes in .
not only birds and fishes, but reptiles; and
Humboldt frequently encountered turtle shells
whose contents had been scooped out by this
insatiate beast; Whenever it yells from the
tree-tops, all the monkeys within hearing set
up terrific cries. Its favorite prey seems to
be the larger quadrupeds, such as cattle,
horses, sheep and dogs which it attacks indis-
criminately, and in the same treacherous
manner as the rest of the feldae. When it
has selected its victim, it pounces on its back
and placing one of it's paws on the back of the
head, while it seizes the muzze with the other,
twists the head around with sudden jerk,
fracturing the spine and killing its prey at
once.
And yet, despite its strength and ferocity,
the jaguar find its greatest enemy upon land,
where probably it would be the lest expected,
which is the ant-eater. This creature is COW
cred with long, coarse, shaggy. hair ,and has
such a remarkably large and busy tail, that
when it lies down to rest it wraps itself up
in it so as to be protected against the rain.
1t is powerful, and specimens have been met
measuring eight feet from the tip of the
nose to the extremity of the tail. 1t has no
teeth. but the second and third toes of the
fore feet are furnished with long, sharp point,
ed and trenchant claws, which, when fastened
upon anything, hold it beyond all chance of
escape.
When the jaugar sets upon the ant-eater
the latter throws itself upon it's back and
uses these wonderfully effective claws in u
way that rarely fails to cause the great terror
of the woods to succumb.
The crocodiles that swarm in the Orinoco
River are always attacked with caution, for
the iaugar shows great intelligence in its con-
duct at all times. When these ungainly rep
steals quietly up and, knowing its vulnerable
points. attacks with such impetuous ferceness
that the alligator is fatally wounded before
it really knows what all the trouble is about
Some years ago, Hugh Thornley,, an Amer
ican traveller, was a member of a company of
a dozen gentlemen that were cautiously MAX
ing their way up the Parana. They generally
spent their nights upon the boat, which was
under the charge of several trustworthy ma
tives, and was furnished with all the conven-
fences they could need. During the day they
sometimes brought down their game from the
deck of the small vessel, but generally landed
and pursued the sport through the dense
forests that abounded on every hand
AS there was nothing to be feared from the
hostility of the natives, the formality of a
watch through the darkness was dispensed
with. The three natives who attended to
navigation were allowed to sleep or do as they
chose; and among the luxuries in which they
chose to indulge the last was to keep their
eyes open the. night through.
1t accidentally happened ,one evening that
Thornley, was the last man on deck. They
had assembled quite distance during the day
and despite the depth and width of the water
had got aground several times; thus the crew
being unusually tired, were all in their ham
mocks. His companions had secured rare
days sport, and they, too, were asleep, whilt