Jungle By- Ways in India 



and appears to be more particularly partial to 

 the rocky and hilly portions of the country. 

 There are considered to be two varieties : the 

 panther, which is the larger, the average length 

 of which may be taken at 7 feet ; and the smaller 

 one, the leopard, the average length of which is 

 about 6 feet 4 inches. The animal may be said 

 to range from 5-8 feet in length, the average 

 height at the shoulder being about 2 feet. 

 The largest leopard recorded measured 8 feet 5| 

 inches, shot by Captain A. G. Arbuthnot (The 

 Sportsman's Book for India), whilst H.H. the 

 Maharaja of Cooch Behar killed one measuring 

 8 feet 4 inches (The Asian). 



Anything over 7 feet 6 inches would be nowa- 

 days considered a big leopard. 



The period of gestation is fifteen weeks, the 

 breeding time being February and March, 

 whilst the cubs number from two to four. The 

 animal takes about three years to reach full 

 growth. 



I do not know whether ' spots ' exhibits more 

 craft and skill in approaching a goat tied up as a 

 bait for him for on occasions his greed and long- 

 ing for the appetising morsel overcomes his natural 

 sagacity and cunning, and he makes the one 

 irretrievable mistake or in escaping from a beat 

 without offering his person to a shot from one 

 of the posted rifles. Certainly in a beat he is little 

 short of marvellous. Almost might one say will 



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