These thickets afford a retreat for capybaras and jaguars.

The fear of the latter animal quite destroyed all pleasure in scrambling through the woods.

This evening I 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.