A handbook to the carnivora. Pt. I, Cats, civets, and mongooses / by Richard Lydekker.

  • Richard Lydekker
Date:
1896
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A handbook to the carnivora. Pt. I, Cats, civets, and mongooses / by Richard Lydekker. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    TO] leader in every Tiger-hunt. One day the Commandante of the district got twelve or fourteen men together, the Tiger-slayer among them, and started in search of a Jaguar which had been seen that morning in the neighbourhood of his 4 estancia.’ The animal was eventually found and surrounded, and as it was crouching among some clumps of tall pampas-grass, where throwing a lasso over its neck would be a somewhat difficult and dangerous operation, all gave way to the famous hunter, who at once uncoiled his lasso and proceeded in a leisurely manner to form the loop. While thus engaged, he made the mistake of allowing his horse, which had grown restive, to turn aside from the hunted animal. The Jaguar, instantly taking advantage of the oversight, burst from its cover and sprang first on to the haunches of the horse, then seizing the hunter by his poncho, dragged him to the earth, and would no doubt have quickly despatched him, if a lasso, thrown by one of the other men, had not closed round its neck at this critical moment. It was quickly dragged off, and eventually killed.” The same writer tells that on another occasion a party of Gauchos started a Jaguar on the pampas, which took refuge in a patch of dry reeds. Being unable to lasso the animal, they set fire to the reeds, in the natural expectation that it would break covert. To their astonishment and disgust, the Jaguar, however, whose eyes could be seen glaring among the reeds, preferred to perish miserably in the flames and smoke, rather than face an encounter in the open. VI. THE PUMA. FELIS CONCOLOR. Felis co7icolor, Linn., Mantissa Plantarum, p. 52 (1771); Elliot, Monogr. Felidse, pi. ii. (1878-83); Mivart, The Cat, p! 397 (1881); True, Rep. U.S. Nat. Mus. 1888-89, PP- 591-608 (1891). Felis cououar, Lesson, Man. Mamm. p. 190 (1827).