1 40 ANIMAL ARTISANS 



the deadly nature of the creature, and its weapons 

 or mode of pursuit. The cat is a more formidable 

 animal than the stoat. But a rabbit or hare shows 

 no more than ordinary fear of the cat. The stoat, 

 on the contrary, often " fascinates," or rather para- 

 lyses, the mental faculties of the rabbit, or even of 

 the courageous rat. It does not always happen, but 

 instances are so common that we need not quote them. 

 A rabbit hunted by a stoat will sit down and squeak 

 till the stoat leisurely kills it ; and a rat will often 

 make no fight at all against the same enemy, though 

 it would defend itself against a ferret, which is larger 

 than the stoat. It is the remorseless bloodthirst and 

 courage of the stoat which has won this ascendency. 



There is a common jungle legend that leopards and 

 tigers can fascinate peacocks. Colonel Tytler had an 

 experience which showed that the natives believe in the 

 story. When stalking a peacock he was rather sur- 

 prised to see how near it allowed him to approach. 

 The bird paid no attention to him, but was gazing 

 intently, as if fascinated, at a little patch of jungle just 

 in front. Looking in the same direction, he saw a 

 leopard stealing on its belly towards the bird, which 

 continued to remain still in the same position. He 

 was greatly surprised, for he had never even heard of 

 leopards in that neighbourhood ; but his astonishment 

 was greater when, on his raising his gun, one barrel of 

 which was loaded with ball, and covering the animal, 

 the leopard threw up its paws, and shrieked in a voice 

 hoarse with terror : "Nehin, sahib, nehin ; mut chulao" 

 (No, sir, no ; don't fire). He said that for a moment he 



