PANTHER SHOOTING 



I actually saw the panther on the boulders far 

 above us. 



On a certain morning, I sent a peon to collect 

 all the goats which he could find in the villages 

 near the place, and told him to have them herded 

 all day in the scrub jungle at the foot of the hill 

 below the spot where I had seen the panther. In 

 the afternoon I drove as near as possible to the 

 place, selected an ambush, sent away all the goats 

 with the exception of one kid which I had picketed 

 in front of me, and watched. At about a quarter 

 to six in the evening, when it was still broad day- 

 light, the panther dashed across an open space in 

 front, and seizing the kid, lay down with it beneath 

 his paws. I was sitting on the ground, and there 

 was sufficient intervening grass to prevent my 

 seeing more than part of the panther's head, but 

 he was very close, so I fired at what I saw, and 

 knocked him over. The kid, which was quite 

 unhurt but very much astonished, jumped up and 

 retired to the end of its tether. As I approached 

 the panther, he began to show signs of coming to 

 life again, and a Mahomedan peon who was with 

 me advised me to give the beast another shot, so 

 I finished him by a bullet in the vitals. 



When I had got the skull of the panther cleaned, 

 I found that there was not even a scratch of lead 

 upon it, the bullet a hollow one from a '500 

 express rifle having merely made an outside flesh 

 wound, unduly tearing the skin, and only stunning 

 the beast. This shot is a good illustration of the 

 danger of firing head shots at the felidce. I do 



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