STRANGE PETS, 291 



rub itself against any rough substance in order to 

 assist in peeling off the exterior gauze-like mem- 

 brane. 



Leopards were common about Coopum and proved 

 a great nuisance, as they carried off a great number 

 of my friend's dogs. One night the little fox- 

 terrier that had first struck up a friendship with the 

 boa was asleep near the steps of the verandah, the 

 snake was coiled up near it, and my friend was in 

 his office-room getting through some correspondence 

 when he heard a sharp " yap ! " (the sound a dog 

 emits when seized by the neck by a leopard). He 

 at once recognised the sound and knew that one of 

 his dogs had been seized by a leopard. Rapidly 

 picking up his gun which stood loaded in a corner 

 of the room, he hurried out and heard a tremendous 

 row in the verandah, as if a dozen cats were engaged 

 in deadly strife. In the imperfect light he could 

 see a dark mass wriggling about, and fancying it 

 was the leopard, he fired two shots at it. When 

 lights were fetched, he found "Tricks," the little 

 fox-terrier, quite dead with a dreadful bite on the 

 neck, and a small-sized leopard still in the coils of 

 the boa and nearly dead from the gunshots. With 

 some difficulty the snake was made to uncoil, and 

 it was then found that my friend's shots in the dark 

 had also seriously wounded the snake. It had 

 probably seen the leopard attack the terrier, and 

 had flung itself on the leopard, and would have in 

 all probability squeezed it to death had not my 

 friend unfortunately shot both. It died in the 

 course of the day. 



19* 



