118 



THE BEASTS OF PREY. 



instance where a Panther had developed into a sys- 

 tematic Man-eater, like Tigers do; but in some parts 

 of India this complaint is made in regard to these 

 animals. Blanford writes that they occasionally get 

 into the habit of eating Men, and then are more ter- 

 rible than Tigers with the same propensities. 



Difficulties The hunting of Leopards is attended 

 of Leopard with greater difficulties than the hunt- 

 Huntmg. \ n g f Tigers. They are much more 

 numerous than the latter, but they are harder to find, 

 for they are not so dependent on water or on partic- 

 ular localities; and they can hide themselves in a 



ound 



THE LONG-TAILED PANTHER. The merest glance at thr 



aptly named. It is spotted differently from other Panthers, and its he 



longer. It is one of the boldest and fiercest of the animals infesting the forests of Sumat 



limbs and muscular development make it an assailant to be feared. {Fclis variegata.) 



marvelous way. All writers are agreed in ascribing 

 to them greater courage than the Tigers possess. 

 Sanderson relates the story of a Panther which, 

 hedged in by fences, jumped at the barriers, threw 

 them down, charged at a guard standing by, lacer- 

 ated his left arm, and was gone before anybody could 

 come to the rescue. He was pursued and found hid- 

 den in a bush. Once more he was surrounded by 

 nets, but obstinately refused to leave the thicket, in 

 spite of the clubs and stones thrown at him. The 

 pursuers were too excited to wait patiently, and San- 

 derson, accompanied by a band of armed Men, en- 

 tered the enclosure and made for the thicket. We 

 know that the Tiger is afraid of such a compact 

 liudy Of Men; but this Panther suddenly rushed out 

 of the bush, threw down and badly hurt with his 

 claws the third Man to the left of Sanderson; the two 

 Men at his side and back fared equally badly, and 

 then the animal disappeared, "without having been 

 touched by bullet or spear. Thus one Panther dis- 



abled four of his pursuers in one day and himself 

 escaped unscathed. 



Mother The breeding season of the Leopard falls 

 Leopard in the months preceding spring in the dif- 

 and Cubs, ferent latitudes that he inhabits. Captive 

 females give birth to from three to five cubs at a lit- 

 ter. The little ones are blind for ten days after 

 birth, and are charming little animals, as well in 

 respect to their markings as in their conduct, and 

 they are as playful as Kittens. In the wild state, the 

 mother hides them in caverns, under roots of large 

 trees, or in thick bushes. When they have attained 

 the size of a large Cat, 

 they accompany their 

 mother on her nightly 

 hunts, and owing to the 

 excellent training she 

 gives them, they are 

 soon able to cater for 

 themselves. A nursing 

 Leopard is a plague to 

 the whole neighborhood. 

 5*^-2?^'$* Her depredations are ac- 

 complished with the ut- 

 most boldness, yet with 

 still greater caution than 

 usual, and it is seldom 

 that one can catch either 

 the mother or cubs. 

 The Leopard During my 

 in stay in Af- 



Captiuity. r ; ca J k e p t 



a male Leopard for a 

 long time, but I could 

 not make our mutual re- 

 lations friendly. When- 

 ever I approached the 

 cage he expressed his 

 dissatisfaction by grin- 

 ning, showing his teeth 

 and sometimes hissing. 

 Whenever I approached 

 an inch nearer than 

 usual, he would watch for 

 an unguarded moment 

 and try to give me a 

 blow with his paw. Like 

 all the other Beasts of 



at the animal it represents is j-, i • i t i .. t i i 



nd the neck proportionately Prey which 1 kept, I had 



and Java, and its strong him fastened to an extra 

 long chain, so I could 

 let him out of his cage once in a while. As soon as 

 he entered the yard, he began to act as if mad; he 

 jumped, stretched himself, hissed and looked wildly 

 around. The longer I made his chain the greater 

 was his rage. His eyes threatened danger and death 

 to all the rest of the animals. The Monkeys would 

 fly up the walls, pillars and poles, and utter their 

 gurgling sound of terror; the Goats would bleat, 

 the Ostriches would run to and fro like creatures 

 possessed, and the Lion would gaze with a growl at 

 this raving Orlando Furioso. With all his might 

 and main the Leopard would try to break his chain, 

 and I must confess that several times we were afraid 

 he would succeed. The most difficult task was to gel 

 him back into his cage. He would not go of his 

 own accord, and we could not compel him to do so. 

 Threats were of no avail; when we showed him the 

 whip, he. showed us his jaws; when we shouted at him, 

 he hissed back; when we attempted to approach him 

 he crouched down ready for a jump. \\ e had to 



