. A general history of quadrupeds : the figures engraved on wood . legs, are of a pale-afh colour; the upper lip white, covered with long whif-kers : Above each eye it has very long hairs; and at thecorner of the mouth a black fpot: Its paws are white jand its ears fliarp and pointed. It grows to the fize of a heifer of a year old, and hasgreat ftrength in its limbs. It inhabits Brazil and Guiana, is a cruel and fierceanimal, much dreaded by the Indians ; but fortunatelythe fpecies is not numerous. M. de la Borde, in his defcription of thefe animals,fays, that they frequent the fea-fliore, and
. A general history of quadrupeds : the figures engraved on wood . legs, are of a pale-afh colour; the upper lip white, covered with long whif-kers : Above each eye it has very long hairs; and at thecorner of the mouth a black fpot: Its paws are white jand its ears fliarp and pointed. It grows to the fize of a heifer of a year old, and hasgreat ftrength in its limbs. It inhabits Brazil and Guiana, is a cruel and fierceanimal, much dreaded by the Indians ; but fortunatelythe fpecies is not numerous. M. de la Borde, in his defcription of thefe animals,fays, that they frequent the fea-fliore, and eat the eggsdepofited there by the turtles. They likewife eat cai-mans or alligators, lizards, and fiflies, and fometimes 222 HISTORY OF QUADRUPEDS. the buds and tender leaves of the Indian fig.—They areexcellent fwimmers.—In order to catch the alligator,they lie down on their belly at the edge of the river,ftrike the water to make a noife, and as foon as the alli-gator raifes its head above the water, dart their claws in-to its eyes, and drag it on THE OCELOT. {Felis Pardalisy Un.—VOceloty BufF.) The fliin of the male Ocelot is extremely beautlfuUand moll elegantly variegated. Its general colour is thatof a bright-tawny ; a black ftripe extends along the topof the back, from head to tail j its forehead is fpottedwith black, as are alfo its legs ; its fhoulders, fides, andrump, are beautifully marbled with long ftripes of black,forming oval figures, filled in the middle with fmallblack fpots ; its tail is irregularly marked with largefpots, and black at the end.—The colours of the femaleare not fo vivid as thofe of the male; neither is it fobeautifully marked. HISTORY OF QUADRUPEDS. 223 The Ocelot very much refembles the common Cat inthe form of its body, although it is a great deal makes its height two feet and a half, and aboutfour feet in length. It is a native of South-America, inhabits Mexico andBrazil, is very voracious, but timid, and feld
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1800, booksubjectmammals, bookyear1800
