The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1910-05-25

In the ndll OIL IhdHlhdlo VI 'hS
Museu Goeldi, in Para, there is
glass case containing the mounted
form of great black jaguar-onca
preta, the Brazilian guard called it.
Crouching low, it grasps a fawn,
which lies, with yet unglazed eyes,
the delicate prey of the monster
whose jetty black rosettes are only
little darker than the ground color
of his coat.
The striking appearance OF the
brute led me to question the guard.
He told me that it had been a cap
tive of the geological garden connect
ed with the museum, a sullen cap
tive, that confinement speedily told
upon, and soon left a candidate for
the skill of the museum taxidermist.
Captured when fully grown, upon, the
island of Marajo, that great delta of
the Amazon, it seemed never to have
forgotten its home among the
swamps, whence it had raided the
cattle of the rancheros-raided them
once too often.
Up in the blue dome the uribus
were gathering, black circling dots
that settled down and grew larger,
and materialized into black vultures.
Down they came, alighting, with a
ponderous whishing of wings, in a
nasty, double black row, on each side
of ravine that gashed the surface
of the prairie not far from where
the towering wall of swampy forest
formed creeper-bound barrier, be-
yond which the cattle of the great
not or could not penetrate. The vul-
lures jostled and hissed pettishly at
one another, and craned their blink
ing heads expectantly over the edge
of the gully.
There, upon the narrow strip of
sandy shore bordering the water, and
below the overhanging bank, with
broken neck, its head twisted back
ward and sidewise and doubled use
lessly under its body, lay a range
bull, and beside the carcass, feeding
from q great bloody hole in its side,
crouched a jaguar.
1t was not common jaguar, with
tawny, black-rosetted hide, but a
black one, the priced and feared onca
preta. Not black he was, but dark
brown, so dark, indeed, that his
black markings seemed only indis-
tinct darker shadows in the satiny
sheen that rippled over his coat as
the muscles played beneath it. A
young male, supple and just arrived
in his prime, he was beautiful, pow.
erful brute, with thick, heavy fore
quarters, great broad head set or
short neck scarcely less heavy thar
the shoulders from which it arose
AS he tore and crunched his food, the
lighter hind legs and feet gripped al
the sand, and the tail jerked ant
Slated about nervously.
1t was easy to mark the story o.
the bulls death in the sand. Some
long, plowed burrows told of the force
of the jaguar's leap from the banl
above, which had knocked the bull
to his knees and into the water, wher,
he had been drinking. Truly tn,
oncas were becoming very bold. l
only they could be killed, as tn,
Crocodiles were killed, with axes, tn,
cattle would not have to suffer from
them. But to compare a jaguar t,
stupid crocodile!
Just yesterday vaquero had seel
an onca singing away from a cow
carcass, one of the many that lay a
all too frequent intervals about tn
ranges. And this in broad daylight
Thus Alfredo, the principal va
Quero, was thinking. He was bi
fellow, Alfredo, bigger than the ay
erage Brazilian cowboy, and with
pleasant, open face, far more intelli
gent than the ordinary. He rod
easily, the RATA of plated rawhid
swishing against the saddle-bov
grotesquely big spurs buckled on hi
bare heels, and his great toes thrus
through little brass stirrups so sma
that the openings in them were quit
filled. The little horse loped alonl
dmpatiently fighting the bit, for A
Ifreda was going to a distant part {
the range, and held him in that
might not tire himself. The ride
swayed as If wave of the motion {
his mount flowed through his franz
His eyes swept about, noting the Ii
tie punches of cattlethat grazed, will,
eyed and with tails half-lifted, read
to bolt at the slightest hostile sig
One or two vaqueros he passed ar
greeted with little hand wave.
Overhead the uribus were sailir
and wheeling, and out ahead the
numbers seemed to be concentratin
That meant there was food, and foe
would in all probability only be a
other COW fallen prey to the onca
Pressing the rein lightly upon Il
horses neck. Alfredo changed b
course toward the spot. Nearing