58 



THE LIVING ANIMALS OF THE WORLD 



as it passed, and with this in its mouth rushed past the owner of the hens, his servants and 

 retainers, and reached a piece of thick scrub near with its prize. 



As the chaus is common both in India and Africa, a comparison of its habits in both conti- 

 nents is somewhat interesting. Jerdon, the Indian naturalist, writes : •• It is the common wild 

 cat from the Himalaya to Cape Comorin, and from the level of the sea to 7,000 or 8,000 feet 

 elevation. It frequents alike the jungles and the open country, and is very partial to long reeds, 

 and grass, sugarcane-fields, and corn-fields. It does much damage to all game, especially to 

 hares and partridges. Quite recently I shot a pea-fowl at the edge of a sugarcane-field. One 

 of these cats sprang out, seized the pea-fowl, and after a short struggle — for the bird was not 



quite dead carried it off before my astonished eyes, and, in spite of my running up, made 



his escape with his booty. It must have been stalking these very birds, so closely did its spring 

 follow my shot. It is said to breed twice a year, and to have three or four young at a birth. I 

 have very often had the young brought to me, but always failed in rearing them ; and they 

 always showed a savage and untamable disposition. I have seen numbers of cats about villages 

 in various parts of the country that must have been hybrids between this cat and the tame ones." 

 The late Sir Oliver St. John was more fortunate with his jungle-cat kittens. He obtained 

 three in Persia. These he reared till they were three months old, by which time they became 

 so tame that they would climb on to his knees at breakfast-time, and behave like ordinary kit- 

 tens. One was killed by a greyhound, and another by a scorpion — a curious fate for a kitten to 

 meet. The survivor then became morose and ill-tempered, but grew to be a large and strong 

 animal. " Two English bull-terriers of mine, which would make short work of the largest domes- 

 tic cat, could do nothing against my wild cat," says the same writer. " In their almost daily 

 battles the dogs always got the worst of it." 



In Africa the chaus haunts the thick cover bordering the rivers. There it catches not only 

 water-fowl, but also fish. According to Messrs. Nicolls and Eglington, " its spoor may con- 

 stantly be seen imprinted on the mud surrounding such pools in the periodical watercourses as 

 are constantly being dried up, and in which fish may probably be imprisoned without chance of 

 escape." The chaus has for neighbour in Africa the beautiful Sekval, a larger wild cat. This 

 species is reddish in colour, spotted on the body, and striped on the legs. The ears are long, but 

 not tufted, like those of the lynx. The serval is more common in North and Central Africa than 

 in the South. Hut it is also found south of the Tropic of Capricorn. Messrs. Nicolls and 

 Ellington say of it: "Northward through South Central Africa it is fairly common. It fre- 

 quents the thick bush in the vicinity of rivers. The karosses, or mantles, made from its skins 

 __ _ are only worn by the chiefs and very 



high dignitaries amongst the native 

 tribes, and are in consequence eagerly 

 sought after, on which account the 

 species tuns a risk of rapid extermi- 

 nation, lis usual prey consists of 

 the young of the smaller antelopes, 

 francolins, and wild guinea-fowls, to 

 the latter of which it is a most 

 destructive enemy in the breeding- 

 season. When obtained young, the 

 serval can be tamed with little trouble ; 

 but it is difficult to rear, and always 

 shows a singular and almost unac- 

 countable aversion to black men. Its 

 otherwise even temper is always 

 aroused at the sight of a native. 



. v**. 





pjt 



Phut by L. Midland, F.Z S.~\ 



This is a spotted cat, with long ears, hut 



[Kirth Finshli/ 



SERVAL 



tufts on them y as in the true lynxes 



