FELIS. 133 
No. 203. FELIS PANTHERA. 
The Panther. 
NativE Names.—Ciita, Gorbacha, Hindi; Beebcea-bagh, Mahrathi, 
Bibla, of the Chita-catchers ; Ghur-hay or Dheer-hay of the hill tribes ; 
Kerkal, Canarese. 
Haxirat.—India generally, Burmah and Ceylon, extending also into 
‘the Malayan countries. 
Description.—Much smaller than the last, with comparatively 
shorter legs and rounder head ; the fur is less bright ; the ground-work 
often darker in colour, and the rosettes are more indistinct which is 
caused by the longer hairs intermingling and breaking into the edges of 
the spots; tail long and furry at the end. According to Temminck the 
tail is longer than that of the last species, having 28 caudal vertebrz 
against 22 of the other; if this be found to be the normal state, there 
will be additional grounds for separating the two. 
Size.—Head and body, 3 to 3% feet; tail, 2} feet; height from 13 to 
2 feet. 
This animal is more common than the pard, and it is more impudent 
in venturing into inhabited places. This is fortunate, for it is seldom a 
man-eater, although perhaps children may occasionally be carried off. 
I have before mentioned one which killed and partially devoured a pony 
in the heart of a populous town, and many are the instances of dogs 
being carried off out of the verandahs of Europeans’ houses. A friend 
of mine one night being awoke by a piteous howl from a dog, chained 
to the centre pole of his tent, saw the head and shoulders of one peering 
in at the door; it retreated but had the audacity to return in a few 
minutes. Jerdon and other writers have adduced similar instances. It 
is this bold and reckless disposition which renders it easier to trap and 
shoot. ‘The tiger is suspicious to a degree, and always apprehensive of 
a snare, but the panther never seems to trouble his head about the 
matter, but walks into a trap or resumes his feast on a previously killed 
carcase, though it may have been moved and handled. There is 
another thing, too, which shows the different nature of the beast. 
There is little difficulty in shooting a panther on a dark night. All that 
is necessary is to suspend, some little distance off, a common earthen 
gharra or water pot, with an oil light inside, the mouth covered lightly with 
a sod, and a small hole knocked in the side in such a way as to allow a 
ray of light to fall on the carcase. No tiger would come near such an 
arrangement, but the panther boldly sets to his dinner without suspicion, 
probably from his familiarity with the lights in the huts of villages. 
I may here digress a Jittle on the subject of night shooting. Every 
one who has tried it knows the extreme difficulty in seeing the sights of 
