CREATURES OF THE WILDERNESS 129 



head and fore-quarters of its kill, the leopard 

 invariably eats the hind-quarters first, nor does 

 it return to the same meal as regularly as the 

 tiger. It is probably the most destructive 

 animal in India, and does much more damage 

 to farm stock than its more powerful cousin. 

 One that was eventually shot, but that, never 

 having been fired at previously, displayed 

 amazing boldness in its raids, was known to 

 have accounted in a single year for no fewer 

 than three ponies and fourteen calves and 

 buffaloes, to say nothing of such smaller items 

 in the bill as dogs, fowls, and goats ! Like 

 the tiger, the leopard is occasionally known to 

 eat its own kind, and one has actually been 

 seen to attack another leopard that had been 

 wounded, first killing it and then eating part 

 of its carcase. 



Panthers and hyenas are known to share the 

 same caves, using one entrance, but different 

 compartments within. The explanation of 

 this curious partnership is probably that the 

 panther takes refuge in the first instance in 

 the hyena's den to bring up her family. This 

 association of hyenas with panthers lends 

 point to a very interesting experience that an 

 acquaintance of mine had some years ago at 

 a jungle hamlet in the Bhegum of Bhopal's 

 Reserves. It was a little before midnight in 

 June, and some hyenas were observed feeding 

 i 



