280 THE MINDS AND MANNERS 



some of which the skin (of the leopard) was still attached. 

 Blood was splashed plentifully on the tree stems and the low 

 brushwood, which for a space of a dozen yards around was 

 trampled flat." The leopard had fled upon the approach of 

 the dogs, leaving a trail of blood, which, though followed 

 quickly, was finally lost in bad ground. It is no wonder 

 that from the above and many other evidences equally good, 

 Mr. Kirby considers the bush pig a remarkably courageous 

 animal. He says that it was " never yet known to show the 

 white feather," and declares that '" a pig is never defeated 

 until he is dead." 



The Combats of Male Deer. The sable antelope is one 

 of the few exceptions to the well-nigh universal rule against 

 fighting between wild animals of the same species. Of this 

 species, Mr. Kirby says: "Sable antelope bulls v fight most 

 fiercely amongst themselves, and though I have never actually 

 witnessed an encounter between them, I have often seen the 

 results of such, evidenced by great gaping wounds that could 

 have been made by nothing else than the horns of an opponent. 

 I once killed a large bull with a piece of another's horn tip, 

 fully three inches long, buried in its neck. In 1889 I shot an 

 old bull on the Swinya with a terrible wound in its off shoulder, 

 caused by a horn thrust." 



During the jealous flashes of the mating season, the males 

 of several species of deer fight savagely. After a long period 

 of inaction while the new antlers are developing — from April 

 to September — the beginning of October finds the male deer, 

 elk, or moose of North America with a new suit of hair, new 

 horns, a swollen neck, and all his usual assertiveness. The 

 crisp autumn air promotes a disposition to fight something, 

 precisely as it inspires a sportsman to "kill something." 

 During October and November, particularly, it is well for an 

 unarmed man to give every antlered deer a wide berth. 



At this period, fights between the males of herds of mule 

 deer, white-tailed deer and elk are of frequent occurrence, 



