72 WILD SPORTS OF BURMA AND ASSAM 



known of several instances, and tried to shoot a black panther 

 that used to roam the heavy jungle at the outskirts of 

 Namyan towards Shoaydoung ; she had with her two cubs, a 

 black and an ordinary one, but she outwitted us. One melanoid, 

 in the People's Park, Madras, had several litters, but she never 

 produced one like herself whilst I knew and took an interest 

 in her. 



When wounded, a panther is more dangerous than a tiger 

 it is equally ferocious and far more active. 



Whilst a griff, I lived with two other officers in a large 

 house, with a terraced roof, at Secunderabad. We had a small 

 menagerie, consisting of a sambur, a bear, and a panther. 

 The latter had been caught when quite a baby, and used to 

 sleep on our beds and go about like a tame cat ; but as it got 

 bigger it showed signs of treachery. We used to take it upon 

 the roof of an afternoon one of us would sit down with his 

 back towards the animal, which was then let go. As soon as 

 the panther thought he could do so unperceived, he stalked 

 the sitter immediately, crouching down and crawling along on 

 his belly. We took care never to let him get within springing 

 distance, and at a signal the one sitting down would jump up 

 and confront the beast, and it was amusing to see the utterly 

 innocent look he would put on, and gaze upon the surrounding 

 objects, but never towards the person he had been stalking. 

 At last he became so big and dangerous we had to chain him 

 up at the foot of a tree in the compound, and he spent the 

 greater part of the day and night in its branches. I had just 

 purchased two thoroughbred English greyhounds, and paid a 

 stiff price for them : they got loose one night, and attacked 

 the panther, who in a few minutes rendered them hors de 

 combat. He did not succeed in killing them, because we 

 rushed out and belaboured him well until he let go and ran 

 up the tree, but the dogs were useless ever after. He also one 

 day sprang down on the sambur and would have killed it, had 

 it not been rescued. He took a decided dislike to one of my 

 chums and would always go for him, but with us others he 

 was usually friendly. At last we let him loose on Mole Alley 

 racecourse and speared him, which was also the fate of the 

 bear. In Burma I only saw a very few, and only killed one, 

 and wounded but lost another. In Assam, large towns like 



