vin THE LEOPARD 161 



any animal that may have been killed. Should one or more of 

 these birds be perched in the trees after sunset, near the carcase 

 of an animal, and should it utter a " caw," when at that late hour 

 it should have gone to roost, you may be assured that it has espied 

 an approaching leopard, although it may be invisible to your own 

 sight. The watcher should be careful not to move, but to redouble 

 his vigilance in keeping a bright look-out, as the leopard will be 

 equally upon its guard should it hear the cry of the warning 

 crow. 



There is very little sport afforded by this stealthy animal, and 

 it is almost useless to organise a special hunt, as it is impossible 

 to form any correct opinion respecting its locality after it has 

 killed an animal. It may either be asleep in some distant ravine, 

 or among the giant branches of some old tree, or beneath the rocks 

 in some adjacent hill, or retired within a cave, but it has no 

 special character or custom that would guide the hunter in arrang- 

 ing a beat according to the usual rules in the case of tigers. The 

 leopard is merely a nuisance, and as such it should be treated as 

 vermin, and exterminated if possible. 



There are various forms of traps adopted by the natives in 

 different countries ; the most certain is the old-fashioned fall, 

 similar upon a large scale to the common fall mouse-traps. These 

 should be permanent fixtures in various portions of the jungles, 

 and they should be baited whenever the tracks of a leopard may 

 be discovered in the neighbourhood. The trap is formed by an 

 oblong 10 feet by 3 of very strong and straight palisades, sunk 2 

 feet deep in the ground, and well pounded in with stones. These 

 should be 5 feet high, with a fall door at one end. The top should 

 be closely secured with heavy cross-pieces of parallel logs, well 

 weighted with big stones. 



The rear of this trap should be partitioned with bamboo cross- 

 bars to form a cage, in which either a goat or a village dog should 

 be tied as a living bait. Leopards are particularly fond of dogs, 

 and the advantage of such a bait during the night consists in the 

 certainty that the dog, finding itself alone in a strange place, will 

 howl or bark, and thereby attract the leopard. The partition 

 must be made of sufficient strength to protect the animal from 

 attack. Iii Africa the natives form a trap by supporting the fallen 

 trunk of a large tree in such a manner that it falls upon the 

 leopard as it passes beneath to reach the bait. This is very 

 effective in crushing the animal, but it is exceedingly danger- 

 ous, like all other African traps, as it would kill any person or 

 other creature that should attempt to pass. Newera Ellia, the 



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