had not proceeded a hundred yards, before finding indubitable signs of
the recent presence of the tiger, I was obliged to come back. On every
island there were tracks; and as on the former excursion "el rastro de
los Indios" had been the subject of conversation, so in this was "el
rastro del tigre." The wooded banks of the great rivers appear to be
the favourite haunts of the jaguar; but south of the Plata, I was told
that they frequented the reeds bordering lakes: wherever they are, they
seem to require water. Their common prey is the capybara, so that it
is generally said, where capybaras are numerous there is little danger
from the jaguar. Falconer states that near the southern side of the
mouth of the Plata there are many jaguars, and that they chiefly live
on fish; this account I have heard repeated. On the Parana they have
killed many wood-cutters, and have even entered vessels at night. There
is a man now living in the Bajada, who, coming up from below when it
was dark, was seized on the deck; he escaped, however, with the loss of
the use of one arm. When the floods drive these animals from the
islands, they are most dangerous. I was told that a few years since a
very large one found its way into a church at St. Fe: two padres
entering one after the other were killed, and a third, who came to see
what was the matter, escaped with difficulty. The beast was destroyed
by being shot from a corner of the building which was unroofed. They
commit also at these times great ravages among cattle and horses. It
is said that they kill their prey by breaking their necks. If driven
from the carcass, they seldom return to it. The Gauchos say that the
jaguar, when wandering about at night, is much tormented by the foxes
yelping as they follow him. This is a curious coincidence with the
fact which is generally affirmed of the jackals accompanying, in a
similarly officious manner, the East Indian tiger. The jaguar is a
noisy animal, roaring much by night, and especially before bad weather.
One day, when hunting on the banks of the Uruguay, I was shown certain
trees, to which these animals constantly recur for the purpose, as it
is said, of sharpening their claws. I saw three well-known trees; in
front, the bark was worn smooth, as if by the breast of the animal, and
on each side there were deep scratches, or rather grooves, extending in
an oblique line, nearly a yard in length. The scars were of different
ages. A common method of ascertaining whether a jaguar is in the
neighbourhood is to examine these trees. I imagine this habit of the
jaguar is exactly similar to one which may any day be seen in the
common cat, as with outstretched legs and exserted claws it scrapes the
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