Jungle By- Ways in India 



of his individual character as seen in the light of 

 the numerous anecdotes one constantly hears 

 about him in India, and from one's own personal 

 experiences. One cannot help arriving at the 

 opinion that in the course of centuries of contact 

 perhaps the animal has assimilated some of the 

 experience and ways of thought and, shall we add, 

 the craft and guile of man himself : man as repre- 

 sented by the Indian villagers living in the neigh- 

 bourhood of the wilder tracts of the country, who 

 will necessarily have a close acquaintance with the 

 habits of the animals living in their vicinity. 

 In the centuries during which the villager and 

 panther have been living side by side, is it 

 absurd to conjecture that the animal has ab- 

 sorbed a considerable amount of man's guile and 

 craft, or has gradually opposed to it a greater 

 cunning? It is not usual for a leopard to be 

 caught in a trap or to succumb to poisoned 

 baits. And yet how often have attempts been 

 made to induce him to enter the one or eat the 

 other ! 



His curiosity or craftiness, whichever it may be 

 due to, will induce him to carefully inspect every 

 device set out for the purpose of his capture, but 

 his knowledge of man and his natural cunning 

 will lead him to do so from a safe distance, and 

 with the utmost circumspection, and he will 

 then continue on his way with probably a chuckle 

 of delight, or perhaps a snort of disgust that 



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