CYN.?;LrBUs. 93 



sharpens its claws, leaving marks that are recognized by the hunters, 

 who capture the leopards by means of nooses made from the dried 

 sinews of antelopes, and pegged to the ground around the tree. 

 From the few accounts given of their habits in the wild state, it 

 is apparent that these felines frequently hunt in pairs or families ; 

 hence, perhaps, the appearance of several at a particular spot, 

 where they amuse themselves by playing about before going ofi' to 

 hunt. 



As already mentioned, only adults are captured, Indian shikaris 

 considering that the young can only be properly trained by the 

 parents. The same view prevails in India with regard to falcons. 

 The hunting leopard is easily tamed, about six months being re- 

 quired to reduce him to a complete state of obedience and to 

 complete his trainuig. Many of these animals, \^■hen tamed, are 

 as gentle and docile as a dog, delighting in being petted, and quite 

 good tempered even with strangers, purring and rubbing them- 

 selves against their friends, as cats do. They are usually kept, 

 when tame, on a charpai or native bedstead, attached by a chain 

 to the wall, and are not shut up in a cage. Young hunting 

 leopards are, of course, soon domesticated, as was shown in the 

 case of that commemorated by Jerdon. So far as I have heard, 

 however, this animal has not been kno\^n to breed m capti\'ity. 



The method of hunting with the " chita," as described by several 

 observers, is the following : — The leopard is hooded, so as to blind- 

 fold it ; it is fastened by a thin cord attached to a leather belt 

 round its loins or to a collar, and is taken on a bullock-cart to the 

 neighbourhood of the antelope. The latter have no fear of the 

 ordinary country carts, which they see dail}^, and there is, con- 

 sequently, no difficulty in dri-\ ing to within a short distance of the 

 herd. The leopard is then unhooded and slipped, and, according 

 to the distance at which the antelope may be, either springs 

 towards them at once, or, taking advantage of inequalities in the 

 ground, follows them at a run until he gets within such a distance 

 as to enable him to make his rush with success. He usually seizes 

 the buck, if there is one with the herd, but this is probably due to 

 the fact that the buck is generally the last ; and, as pointed out 

 by Sir W. Elliot, the mir-shiktiris (keepers) always endeavour to 

 get the herd to run across them, when they drive on the cart and 

 unhood the " chita." The leopard rushes at the antelope and fells 

 it, it is said, by striking its legs from under it with his paw ; he 

 then seizes the quarry by the throat, and holds it until the keepers 

 arrive. The antelope's throat is then cut, and some of the blood 

 collected in the wooden bov\l from which the hunting leopard is 

 fed, and offered to the latter, who laps it eagerly, advantage being 

 taken of the opportunity to slip on his hood again. A good hunt- 

 ing leopard is said sometimes to capture four bucks in a morning. 



Baldwin, in the ' Large Game of Bengal,' states that the hunt- 

 ing leopard has occasionally been speared from horseback. It gives 

 but a short run, and rarely shows tight. McMaster also relates an 



