142 ZOOLOGY. [Part II. 



Major Skinner, who for upwards of forty years has had 

 occasion to live ahnost constantly in the interior, occupied 

 in the prosecution of surveys and the construction of 

 roads, is strongly of opinion that towards man the dispo- 

 sition of the leopard is essentially pacific, and that, when 

 discovered, its natural impulse is to effect its escape. In 

 illustration of this, I insert an extract from one of his letters, 

 which describes an adventure highly characteristic of this 

 instinctive timidity. 



" On the occasion of one of my visits to Adam's Peak 

 in the .prosecution of my mihtary reconnoissances of the 

 mountain zone, I fixed on a pretty httle patena (i. e. 

 meadow) in the midst of an extensive and dense forest in 

 the southern segment of the Peak Eange, as a favourable 

 spot for operations. It would have been difficult, after 

 descending from the cone of the peak, to have found one's 

 way to this point, in the midst of so vast a wilderness of 

 trees, had not long experience assured me that good game 

 tracks would be found leading to it, and by one of them I 

 reached it. It was in the afternoon, just after one of those 

 tropical sun-showers which decorate every branch and 

 blade with its pendant brilliants, and the little patena 

 was covered with game, either driven to the open space 

 by the di^ippings from the leaves or tempted by the 

 freshness of the pasture : there were several pairs of 

 elk, the bearded antlered male contrasting finely with 

 his mate ; and other varieties of game in a profusion 

 not to be found in any place frequented by man. It was 

 some time before I could allow them to be disturbed 

 by the rude faU of the axe, in our necessity to estabhsh 

 our bivouac for the night, and they were so unaccustomed 

 to danger, that it was long before they took alarm at our 

 noises. 



" The following morning, anxious to gain a height in 

 time to avail myself of the clear atmosphere of sunrise 

 for my observations, I started off by myself through the 

 jungle, leaving orders for my men, with my surveying 

 instruments, to follow my track by the notches which 



