The Leopard 



get a shot from your circumscribed look-out hole. If 

 there is a little moonlight expected after dusk, try and 

 arrange your machan so as to have the light falling from 

 behind you on to the goat. Recollect the shadow cast 

 by the moon. It is not always easy to distinguish the 

 shadow from the substance of the goat, and the same 

 is of course true of the leopard. Take your time in 

 aiming, and if the leopard is inextricably mixed up with 

 the goat, wait. Eventually the leopard will conquer 

 the goat and give you a steady shot while sucking the 

 blood from the neck. 



" Don't fancy the leopard will not come, once you 

 have made up your mind to sit up. Some are exceed- 

 ingly crafty and suspicious, and do not fail to observe 

 the goat most carefully. Often the goat ceases bleating 

 simply from an access of fear ; it has seen, heard, or 

 scented the leopard. You will often see it, after stand- 

 ing or lying carelessly, suddenly assume a rigid position, 

 gradually moving its head round, and sometimes by 

 the action of its legs unmistakably indicating that the 

 foe is about. The goat will sometimes stamp on the 

 ground and emit little snorts. Of course occasionally 

 this may only indicate a hyaena, or a pig, or the insignifi- 

 cant mongoose, or a hare, but never neglect such indica- 

 tions. As to using slugs, I think you will do well to 

 have a smooth-bore loaded with buck-shot ; but stick 

 to your rifle to the last possible moment. Slugs do 

 not always penetrate between the ribs and reach a vital 

 part, and they seldom leave a bloody trail. I have 

 rarely found my .500 Express fail even when it was 

 impossible to see the sights." 



In a work on the animals of Russia and Asia, 

 published in 181 1, the Russian naturalist Pallas gave 

 the name Felis panthera to the leopard of the Caucasus ; 

 and although he appears to have regarded it as identical 

 with the true F. pardus of Linnaeus, yet according to 

 modern usage his name is entitled to stand for the 

 Persian and Caucasian race of the species. The name 



321 Y 



