COURSING PANTHERS. 207 



Station of Pubna. My companions were G., an indigo 

 planter, at whose house we were staying, and P., who was 

 on a sporting visit to me, and whom I mounted on that occa- 

 sion. G., an accomplished rider, was fairly well horsed ; P.'s 

 delicate frame was animated by a giant's heart, and he had 

 all the will to be a bold hog-hunter, without possessing the 

 requisite strength. Riding under nine stone, P. was mounted 

 upon my white Arab mare, a slightly formed, but fast little 

 creature of about fourteen hands ; G. had under him a good 

 bay Australian gelding, over fifteen hands in height ; and, 

 lastly, I was on " Goldenrein," a chestnut country -bred gallo- 

 way, a very handsome and fleet animal, but rather wilful, and 

 more than rather hard-mouthed. 



While we watched, thus mounted, spear in hand, the 

 beating out of a small patch of bushes and grass within 

 sight of the factory, a pair of tree-panthers came bounding 

 out into the plain, a dead-level of light sandy soil, on which 

 grew crops of mustard and oil- seeds, broken here and there 

 by small stretches of thatching grass two or three feet in 

 height, in which wild-hog made their lairs in cosy nests of 

 grass. These tents, or houses, are constructed by the neces- 

 sary quantity of grass being first cut down with the teeth or 

 tusks on some selected site ; secondly, by the cut grass being 

 well trodden down under foot ; and thirdly, by the greater 

 portion being lifted with the snout and head and formed into 

 a snug round dwelling of the size required, whether as 

 bachelor's quarters or a family residence. The remaining 

 portion of the grass, which has been cut and prepared, then 

 forms the floor or bed, raised a little above the general level 

 of the surrounding ground ; and thus, except in very wet 

 and stormy weather, when heavy coverts are resorted to, the 

 wild hog is comfortably housed and protected from the sun ? 

 wind, and rain. 



To return to our panthers. On breaking cover, they 

 raced out at great speed, heads and tails carried high, intend- 

 ing to gain some other patch of jungle, or failing so to do, 

 and describing a circle, to return to that they had left. We 



