217 



" corroborates Mr. Blyth's remarks, quoted by Jerdoii, at page 99 

 " of his "Mammals of India," regarding the blood-sucking propeir 

 " sity of the leopard, when he finds cattle or other animals penned 

 " up and helplessly in his power. The leopard in question could 

 " not escape, and was shot through a hole made in the wall of 

 " the cattle shed. 



" Leopards are more pugnacious perhaps than tigers, frequently 

 " attacking man when provoked, where the tiger would prefer to 

 " escape without molesting any one. About Mangalore and North 

 " Canara, I am informed that they are generally very fierce ; a 

 " friend there once had a narrow escape : a leopard driven out of 

 " a jungle, on seeing him posted, immediately charged, and spring- 

 " ing through the air, seized the sportsman's cap in his mouth and 

 " vanished from his sight. Then again on the other hand, I once 

 " nearly trod on a female leopard with her cub close by, and she, 

 " instead of attacking me, slunk away ; it was curious. I was out 

 *' on some hills about 30 miles from Bellary, and in prowling about 

 " with a shot gun, looking for a jungle-cock I had heard crowing . 

 " on passing through an opening between some rocks and low 

 " jungle, I heard what I thought was the droning or drumming noise 

 " of the bush quail, a few paces in front of me ; I advanced quietly, 

 " when a dog I had with me rushed ahead, and at the same moment 

 " I caught sight of what I thought was a wild cat running through 

 " the grass, the dog in chase. I moved on a step or two, the 

 " droning noise still continuing, but louder, when suddenly, at my 

 " very feet, something moved in the grass and disappeared round a 

 " bush ; just giving me time to see that it was a large leopard ; 

 " had I been quick I could certainly have killed her, even with 

 " shot. It was fortunate she did not spring as I approached, for I 

 " was completely off my guard, under the impression that the noise 

 " I heard was that of a quail and not as it proved, the low growling 

 " of the cheetah. That they occasionally outwit themselves, my 

 " anecdote about the cattle-shed shows, and sometimes it happens 

 " that they take up what I may call a false position for the day 

 " either from being out too late, or from a wish to be near their 

 " prey, and thus they often fall victims to their own temerity. I 

 " remember one being killed from under as tack of paddy straw 



28 



