CHAPTER III 



Leopard or panther Most crafty of the cat tribe Habits Disliked 

 by the villager The subaltern's hope Distribution Size of 

 leopards Tying up for leopard Craftiness in a beat Abundance 

 of leopards Shooting ' spots ' with No. 6 Leopards and small- 

 bore rifles Sitting up for the pard A night adventure Con- 

 trariness of the goat An afternoon rencontre The pard in his 

 natural surroundings. 



LEOPARD OR PANTHER 



A3NGST the most crafty of the jungle 

 beasts is the leopard or panther (Felis 

 pardus), the ' pard ' or ' spots ' of the 

 sportsman. 



He is probably more intensely disliked by the 

 petty villager than even his more lordly com- 

 panion the tiger, since, instead of robbing and 

 killing on the grand scale, he is given to petty 

 pilfering, and carries off their goats, dogs, and 

 even young babies in the most cool, exasperating, 

 and sly fashion. 



260 



