CREATURES OF THE WILDERNESS 135 



proved helpful, and another rupee or two 

 changed hands when she returned, more than 

 once, to tell the sahib that he was right and 

 that the child was none the worse for its fright. 

 The reason why the infant got off without any 

 risk of blood poisoning was that the teeth and 

 claws of the tame leopard, which had never 

 tasted carrion, were perfectly clean. In the 

 wild state, on the other hand, the claws more 

 particularly, which are grooved, get very dirty, 

 and it is to clean the remains of food out of 

 the grooves that tigers, leopards, and all re- 

 tractile-clawed cats are so fond of digging their 

 claws into the bark of trees and tearing them 

 through the bark, just like the cat does with 

 the chair legs. 



BEARS 



India has three bears, which differ consider- 

 ably in their habits and appearance. The 

 most familiar of the trio is the black bear, 

 also called sloth bear, at any rate by those 

 people who have never been chased by one. 

 After such an experience they call it the black 

 bear, for once they have seen the animal come 

 rolling and tumbling downhill at terrific pace, 

 and then bite off most of a native's head almost 

 before he has realised his danger, they realise 

 that the other name is not appropriate. The 

 animal has a black and shaggy coat, with 



