The jaguar, or American tiger, as he is sometimes called, is a native of
South America. He is beautifully spotted with rings containing smaller
spots on a deeper ground tint. He is a ferocious and destructive beast,
inhabits the forests, and seeks his prey by watching, or by openly
seizing cattle or horses in the enclosures. His depredations among the
herds of horses which graze on the prairies of Paraguay are vast and
terrible. Swift as lightning he darts upon his prey, overthrows it by
weight, or breaks its neck by a blow of his paw. His strength is so
great, he can easily drag off a full-sized horse. He is an expert
climber, and the prints of his claws have been seen on the bark at the
top of trees fifty feet in height and without branches. He sometimes
feeds on monkeys, but they are generally too active for him; having the
power to swing themselves from branch to branch with wonderful
swiftness, they are soon beyond his reach. After horses, oxen and sheep
are his favorite prey, and his devastations among them are often very
extensive. On account of this, efforts are constantly made to destroy
him. He is hunted with dogs, which run him to bay, or force him to seek
safety in a tree, where he is kept till the approach of the hunters, who
shoot him, or disable him with their long spears.
[Illustration: THE JAGUAR WAITING FOR HIS PREY.]