MISCELLANEOUS NOTES. 827 



pool of blood showed that the:animal had sat down. Eventually, after search- 

 ing all but one spare room, we found him in the latter, again taking shelter 

 behind a coil of matting. This time there was a window in the room, some 

 14 ft. off the ground, so by climbing on the roof a good view of the beast was 

 possible. A ladder was procured, the roof was surmounted, and a glance 

 through the window or skylight showed me my friend, sitting in the corner, 

 ready to make a spring. Unfortunately, he saw me before I could get my 

 rifle up. Taking fright, he bolted out, this time passing through the house and 

 close to St. Macan, who fired at him as he passed under a bed, and again a 

 second later as he went through the door. Neither shot proved fatal, except 

 to certain portions of the furniture ! But they had the efiect of driving him 

 out of the house, badly wounded, across the tennis court into the mess com- 

 pound, which is just opposite my house. Here he tried to take shelter in the 

 cookhouse, but, failing to get in, he turned towards the servants' quarters, 

 scattering the numerous occupants and their belongings, such as fowls and 

 dogs, in all directions. 



Just at this moment an inquisitive sweeper emerged from his house to see 

 what the commotion was. Quickly spotting him, the panther made for the 

 man as fast as his wounds permitted. A race ensued between the two, which 

 onlookers reported as having its humourous as well as its serious side. Too 

 feeble to do harm, the beast merely made two or three clutches at the man's 

 clothes, and then, turning into an outhouse, he was polished off with a shot 

 from a '577. Thus an hour's exciting sport was brought to a close with the 

 inevitable photograph ! On examination the panther proved to be a female 

 about three years old, in very poor condition, which was accounted lor by the 

 presence of an old bullet wound of some weeks' standing, the result of which 

 had in all probability driven the unfortunate animal to wander into canton- 

 ments in quest of food. 



Within a radius of six miles of Jubbulpore panthers are common, and within 

 the last 10 years one was killed under a culvert in the brewery, and a three- 

 quarter grown tiger cub was also accounted for in a nullah on the present golf 

 links. The animal must have walked thiough the open doors at night, and hid 

 in the hope that nightfall would again offer a chance of escape. 



G. R. RUNDLE, Lieut.- Col., r.f.a.' 

 Jubbulpore, c.p., 24th Jvne. 



(The, above appeared in the " Field " of the 18th August 1906.) 



No. XVII— THE BOLDNESS OF PANTHERS. 



Apropos of " The boldness of panthers," the following may be of interest. 

 A short time ago a friend of mine — B — was watching for a panther. He was 

 sitting concealed behind a screen on one side of a nullah and a goat was tied on 

 a rock on the opposite side, a distance of about twenty yards. At about 5 p.m. 

 when still quite light, he saw a panther coming towards the goat from one side. 

 When it was a short distance from the goat, B, who was using a single '303 

 35 



