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creation, but the chase (sport it is not) is despicable ; fit only for 

 the false and effeminate natives of India. 



When en his cart, a hunting leopard is generally in excellent 

 temper, keeping up a constant purr and rubbing himself against 

 any one who is near him much as a tame cat does at meal-times. 

 Blyth's term for the cry of the cheetah, page 117 of Jerdon, " a 

 bleat-like mew" reminds me of a sound once heard not to be 

 forgotten, and although well known to sportsmen, not, I think, 

 often mentioned ; the call at night of one tiger to another, it is, I 

 think, more like the faint grunting " low" of a cow buffalo to her 

 calf than any other noise I know and yet so distinct, not to say 

 awful, that it is not to be mistaken. 



The finest hunting leopard I have ever seen, belonged to the well 

 known Rajah of Chicarry in Bundlekund. The keeper told me that 

 he could run down four black bucks of a morning. I saw him with- 

 out showing the slightest signs of being fatigued, kill two very 

 fine bucks in the Rajah's preserve within a very short space of 

 time. The last gave us what is I suppose in that description of 

 hunting considered a very long run. He had a long start and was 

 on the move when the leopard jumped off the cart on which we, 

 (leopard, the keeper an old Mussalman, and I) were seated, and 

 continued trotting quietly on, thus keeping the leopard who follow- 

 ed at a crouching run, and took advantage of every bit of cover 

 that could screen him from view at a pretty sharp canter before he 

 could get close enough perhaps within two hundred yards, to 

 make the final rush, this once commenced the buck was run into 

 with as much rapidity, in certainly less than four hundred yards, as 

 if the leopard had started on better terms. The buck although he 

 was nervous, did not of course see the leopard, or he would have 

 been off at once. His enemy was two or three times inclined to 

 give up the chase, having perhaps lost sight, but was encouraged 

 to go on by a whistle from the old keeper who sat with me on the 

 light cart which a couple of fast bullocks took along at a round trot. 

 Of course, this could not have been done except in a preserve where 

 the antelope were very tame and in great numbers. The leopard 

 certainly was a very beautiful and perfectly gentle creature ; 

 although he did look a rather formidable one when, excited by his 



