Narrative of the surveying voyages of his majesty's ships Adventure and Beagle (vol.2- Appendix): between the years 1826 and 1836 : describing their examination of the southern shores of South America, and the Beagles's circumnavigation of the globe

APPENDIX. 101 No. 11. Extract from Falkner, pp. 61, 62, 63. I shall here give an account of a strange amphibious animal, which is an inhabitant of the river Parana, a description of which has never reached Europe ; nor is there even any mention made of it by those who have described this country. What I here relate is from the concurrent asseverations of the Indians, and of many Spaniards, who have been in various employments on this river : besides, I myself, during my residence on the banks of it, which was near four years, had once a transient view of one ; so that there can be no doubt about the existence of such an animal. In my first voyage to cut timber, in the year 1752, up the Parana, being near the bank, the Indians shouted, "yaquaru!" and look- ing, I saw a great animal, at the time it plunged into the water from the bank ; but the time was too short to examine it with any degree of precision. It is called yaquaru, or yaquaruigh, which (in the language of that country) signifies the water tiger. It is described by the Indians to be as big as an ass, of the figure of a large overgrown river-wolf or otter, with sharp talons and strong tusks, thick and short legs, long shaggy hair, with a long tapering tail. The Spaniards describe it somewhat differently : — as having a long head, a sharp nose like that of a wolf, and stiff erect ears. This difference of description may arise from its being so seldom seen, and, when seen, so suddenly disappearing; or perhaps there may be two species of this animal. I look upon this last account as the most authentic, having received it from persons of credit, who assured me that they had seen this water-tiger several times. It is always found near the river, lying on a bank, from whence, on hearing the least noise, it immediately plunges into the water. It is very destructive to the cattle which pass the Parana, for great herds of them pass every year ; and it generally happens that this beast seizes some of them. When it has once laid hold of its prey, it is seen no more, and the lungs and entrails soon appear floating upon the water. It Hves in the greatest depths, especially in the whirlpools made by the concurrence of two streams, and sleeps in the deep caverns that are in the banks.