less on the real banks of the Parana, sloping away
to the river four leagues away, and forming one of the most fertile
spots in the Republic. This low-lying land is the finest and cheapest
grazing in the north, but it is unreliable because it is quite inundated
in time of floods, when the cattle have to be withdrawn to higher camp.

During various excursions on the following days we saw tracks of
"tigers" (leopard) and "lions" (puma); the kill of the latter, a small
gazelle buck, "guasuncho," we found neatly covered up with grass and
leaves, and easily distinguishable from the tiger's kill, which is
always left uncovered. A very fine tiger's skin was brought in one
night, measuring 1.84 metres from the tip of the nose to the root of the
tail, and 1.56 metres across. The man had suddenly come across it while
on foot in the monte, and after wounding it with his Winchester had run
it down with his dogs and killed it.

One evening we caught sight of a tapi (tapir) coming down to drink, but
were unable to shoot on account of the bad light. Each day we saw many
wild pigs ("chancho moro") and various kinds of wild cats, including the
splendid "gato once" or ounce cat, whose skin is one of the finest, and
only to be compared with the "lobo" or golden otter, which has a most
magnificent fluffy pelt with a golden tint on the tips. The latter is
unfortunately getting very rare now.

The great wolf or "aguaras" is still common, and is a very stately
beast, as he slopes along with his hind-quarters well under him, with
pricked ears and shaggy black mane.

The forests here are mostly in long strips and clumps, with excellent
pasture land between them; and they contain, among other commoner chaco
trees, lance wood, four crowns, and tala. Amongst the strange trees
there is one enormous broad-leafed tree called "guapoij," which has long
creeping roots, which cling on to neighbouring trees and gradually pull
them down and absorb all their goodness, killing them, and in some
marvellous way apparently eating them up. One finds occasionally one of
these trees embracing another bigger than itself, and gradually rooting
it out of the ground.

On all low ground one generally finds "Zeibos"--a tree with very soft
wood and very pretty branches of scarlet flowers.

The wild apricot or "ijguajay" grows everywhere, and looks a very
tempting fruit, fatal, however, to most Europeans, as it is a very
powerful purge. The Indian children eat the f