78 NATURAL HISTORY. 



out the buck, which is generally the last in the herd. The meer-shikars are unwilling to slip till 

 they get the herd to run across them, when they drive on the cart and unhood the Cheetah.' 



" I have only to add to this, on my own testimony, that I have often seen it, when xinhooded, 

 at some distance from the Antelope, crouch along the ground and choose any inequality of surface 

 to enable it to get within proper distance of the Antelope. As to Vigne's idea of its rush being made 

 during one breath, I consider it a native one, and unfounded, and I may say the same of its holding 

 one paw over the horns of the buck. The Cheetah, after felling the Antelope, seizes it by the throat, 

 and when the keeper comes up he cuts its throat and collects some of the blood in the wooden ladle 

 from which it is always fed. This is offered to the Cheetah, who drops his hold, and laps it up eagerly, 

 during which the hood is cleverly slipped on again. My tame Cheetah, when hungry or left alone 

 (for it appeared unhappy when away from the Dogs with no one near it), had a plaintive cry, which 

 Blyth appropriately calls a 'bleat-like mew.' Shikaries always assert that if taken as cubs they are 

 useless for training, till they have been taught by their parents how to pull down their prey. This 

 opinion is corroborated, in part at least, by my experiences with the tame one mentioned above." 



Although capable of domestication, the Cheetah is, when roused, anything but a pleasant animal 

 to come across. Two colonists from the Cape of Good Hope happened to meet one while they 

 were out shooting Gazelles, and, unfortunately for themselves, pursued it. " The roughness of the 

 road retarded the animal's flight, and a ball reached it. It immediately turned upon the hunter who 

 had wounded it, and, leaping upon him, pulled him from his Horse, and a hand-to-hand conflict began 

 between the two adversaries. The other hunter dismounted and hastened to succour his comrade, at 

 the risk of hitting him as well as the animal from which he wished to deliver him. His shot was 

 badly aimed. The noise of the discharge changed the aspect of the combat, for the Cheetah abandoned 

 the man whom he had thrown down, to fling himself with redoubled fury on the new assailant, who 

 had not even time to draw his hunting-knife. The animal seized him by the head, and, without letting 

 go, rolled with him to the bottom of a ravine. It was of no avail that the first man, left alive, but 

 horribly mutilated, dragged himself to the new battle-field the wounds of his companion were mortal, 

 and he only had the melancholy satisfaction of giving the coup de grdce to the animal, who was already 

 exhausted by loss of blood." 



It is curious, considering the constant domestication of this animal in India, that it does not breed 

 at all readily in confinement. In fact, Mr. Bartlett, who probably knows more about the matter than 

 any one, says that it has never to his knowledge bred in England ; but Dr. Giinther affirms that it 

 has bred in the Gardens in Frankfort. 



The young animal is covered with soft brown hair, without spots, a curious fact, quite reversing 

 the usual order of things, for, as we have seen, the young of the Lion, Puma, and other one-coloured 

 Cats, are distinctly spotted. The black mark on the cheek appears first, and then the body spots. Mr. 

 Jerdon gives an interesting account of a Cheetah kitten belonging to him : 



"I brought up the young one above alluded to along with some Greyhound pups, and they soon became 

 excellent friends. Even when nearly full-grown it would play with the Dogs (who did not over relish 

 its bounding at them), and was always sportive and frolicsome. It got much attached to me, at once 

 recognising its name (Billy), and it would follow me on horseback like a Dog, every now and then 

 sitting down for a few seconds, and then racing on after me. It was very fond of being noticed, and 

 used to purr just like a Cat. It used to climb on any high object the stump of a tree, a stack of hay 

 and from this elevated perch look all round for some moving object. As it grew up, it took first to 

 attacking some Sheep which I had in the compound, but I cured it of this by a few sound horsewhip- 

 pings ; then it would attack Donkeys, and get well kicked by them ; and when not half-grown it flew 

 one day at a full-grown tame Nylghau, and mauled its legs very severely before it could be called off. 

 I had some Chikaras (Gazella Bennettii) caught, and let loose before it to train it. The young Cheetah 

 almost always caught them easily, but it wanted address to pull them down, and did not hold them. 

 Occasionally, if the Antelope got too far away, it would give up the chase, but if I then slipped a 

 Greyhound, it would at once follow the Dog and join the chase. It was gradually getting to under- 

 stand its work better, and had pulled down a well-grown Antelope Fawn, when I parted with it, as I 

 was going on field service." 



Brehm had a Cheetah called " Jack," which was so tame that his master led him about like a 



