The missionary told us a story about the jaguars. Some months before our arrival a young jaguar had wounded a child while playing with him. I have verified the facts on the spot; it should interest those who study animal behavior. Two Indian children, a boy and a girl of about eight and nine years of age, were sitting on the grass near the village when a jaguar came out from the jungle and ran round the children, jumping and hiding in the high grass, like our cats. The little boy sensed danger only when the jaguar struck him with its paw until blood began to flow. The little girl chased it off with branches from a tree. The intelligent little boy was brought to us. The jaguar's claw had ripped skin from his forehead. What did this playfulness mean in the jaguar? If the jaguar was not hungry, why did it approach the children? There is something mysterious in the sympathies and hatreds of animals.

After climbing the mountain for a long time we reached the Hato de Cocollar on a small plateau. This is an isolated farm on the crest of the tableland. We rested here in this lonely spot for three days, well looked after by its owner Don Mathias Yturburi from Biscay, who had accompanied us from Cumanà harbor. We found milk and excellent meat thanks to the rich grassland, and above all a wonderful climate.