266 TTDA PRANG 



of the cat family I had ever seen mauling its prey. 

 The leopard's actions were precisely those of the 

 cat with a mouse after a kill; it put out a fore 

 paw, pushing the deer, then pulling, and once 

 or twice leaped lightly from one side to the other. 

 It was some minutes before the leopard satisfied 

 itself of the deer's death, if that was the object 

 of the mauling ; and then, fastening its fangs in the 

 deer's throat, though without tearing the flesh- 

 that is, without ripping it— it seemed to suck the 

 blood. Thus far its actions had been rather delib- 

 erate, and not ravenous. But now it went to the 

 stomach, which it ripped open quickly, and at once 

 changed to a ravenous, wild creature, as it began 

 dragging out the intestines until it had secured the 

 liver and the heart. Then it settled to feeding; 

 and when it had about finished the performance— I 

 shot. The panther and leopard are commonly be- 

 lieved always to spring from ambush upon the 

 back of their victim ; and while they both do so on 

 occasion, the more usual method of the panther is 

 to seize by the throat at the end of a quick, short 

 rush. The leopard follows the popular theory 

 more often because it preys largely upon goats, the 

 small deer and young pigs, whose necks may be 

 crushed between its jaws. To dislocate the neck 

 of larger prey it must take hold of the throat and 

 have the aid of its fore paws with which to take 



