The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1921-10-30
JACUAR HUNTING
THRILLING SPORT,
SAYS EXPLORER
Robert Becker Tells of
Experiences in South
American Jungle.

A party Of two Americans ana
three native Brazilians had set out
on q hunt for jaguar. They were IN
the Amaxon valley Of Brasil Early
In the mosnipg of the day In which
the hunt came to an end. they had
awakened and had their rice and
coffee. Then. equipped with guns
and dogs and the Indians with their
machetes. which are long. sharp
knives. the party had mounted the
ponies. sent the trained hunting
dogs ahead. and started on over the
rolling plains.
Il was the believing Of the dog
far ahead that had aroused the In
dian guides and caused them to cry
out in Portuguese that jaguar had
been located. With their shouts of
-oncai Esta un oncai (JaguarI
There 10 q 3aguar!") they urged
their ponies on toward a small.
heavily-wooded swamp not Tar oss-
tant. From the middle Of this dense
timber was where the bowls of the
dogs came.
Disneunt NJ swsnp's Edge.
We reached the edge Of the
swamp and quickly dismounted."
Robert Becker. one of the Ameri-
cans In the party. told me. THE In
dians unsheathed their machetes
and swung them into the dense
vegetation ID cut a path through
the trees and brush to where the
dogs were located. The dogs had
freed the jaguar. We discovered
afterward that they must have
caught the animal in hiding on the
edge Of a water hole in the timber,
where II had been waiting for its
breakfast, no doubt. The taguar
makes IL his business to Kill other
animals for food. A water hole Is a
good place to do this, for the Jag
uar can hide in the brush at the
edge and jump out on animals that
come to drink.
AS fast as the Indians cut down
the trees and grasses. we followed
the path holding our guns in readi-
ness to shoot on a seconds notice.
The dogs continued their bowls to
guide us.
"A taguar is a large, cat-like ami
NAL. weighing about IFS pounds
and when full-grown, measuring
about six feet three inches from the
head to the tip of the tail He is
of a yellowish tint and has black
spots. when we saw our animal in
tree. stretched out on a big limb
about twenty feet up. snarling and
glazing at the bowling dogs on the
ground below, 1t was an imposing
sight.
But We spent little time admir-
Ing II. The sooner the animal was
killed the better. We knew that {,
must be q clean kill. To only wound
the animal would mean added dan
ger. In one leap he might land any
one of us and tear him into shreds
TT was a clean kill. One shot
and the Jaguar tumbled heavily
through the tree to the ground. L,
| emitted a cry that was a half-roar
and half-scream. Then IL was quiet
I'VE allowed the dogs to pummel
the body fer a while to satisfy them
and make them feel that they had
been the ones responsible for the
killing. Then We took the skin. and
the party went on for more speci-
| mems"
This jaguar hunt took place in
the spring of 1913. The two Ameri-
| can hunters had been sent to South
America by a large museum to- Sc
cure specimens of native animals
for exhibition. 1t was not merely
for sport that they had taken the
| jaguar.
The skin was brought back to the
United States. II Is to be stuffed
and exhibited in the great Field
Museum of Chicago. And though
have not seen II myself. they tel
me that this King OF the South
American Jungle is a beauty.