544 JOURNAL, BOMBA Y NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY , Vol. XI. 



No. XI.— THE YOUNG OP THE HUNTING LEOPARD. 



{With two Plates.) 

 Late one evening in December, in Berar, on returning from shooting, my 

 boy informed me that a man, during my absence, had brought two very 

 young leopards, which he wished to sell. During my stay in India I had 

 experienced so many disappointments in attempting to bring up various young 

 animals, that I had vowed I would never go through the trouble and anxiety 

 of doing so again. Consequently I told my servant to tell the man that I did 

 not want any young leopards ; just then, however, the man came forward carry- 

 ing a small basket, into which I just glanced, and greatly to my surprise, in 

 place of seeing, as I expected, ordinary leopard cubs, I saw two small balls 

 covered with long, grey tow-like hair, nestling together at the bottom of the 

 basket, and when these moved, two most comical looking little grey kitten 

 heads were raised, — they had large brown eyes and a black stripe running 

 from the corner of each eye to the mouth. I at once felt that these were 

 not ordinary leopard kittens, but must be those of the Hunting leopard. 

 On attempting to put my hand inside the basket, there was much explosive 

 " spitting," but there was no arching of back and raising of fur, as seen in 

 cat kittens. The man informed me he had found them under a thick bush 

 in the jungle, some five miles off ; that he and a companion, two days 

 previously, had seen a large cheeta enter this bush, and suspecting it had 

 young ones hidden there, he revisited the place, and finding the old cheeta 

 was away, looked about and discovered the two cubs, which he carried off at 

 his best pace ; both were males and one a good deal larger than the other; the 

 man thought that the cubs were about five days old, if so, possibly, like lion 

 cubs they were born with their eyes open. I was so much interested in their 

 appearance, that at last I told the man I would keep them until next day, and 

 purchase them if I could feed them. I then took them out of the basket 

 and carried them in my arms to the Forest bungalow, where I was putting up. 

 They were but little alarmed, and ou. being placed on the floor walked quietly 

 here and there. I tried to feed them by means of a rag dipped in warm 

 milk and water ; they tools a little this way. I noticed that their front teeth 

 ■were only just above the gum, and constantly as they walked about, and when 

 returned to the basket, they made a chirping cry, most bird-like in bound ; this, 

 no doubt was calling for their mother. As it became dark the cubs lay down in 

 the basket and went to sleep. Next day I was away shooting and left the cubs 

 to the care of my boy ; on my return he told me ihat he had great trouble 

 in getting them to take any milk. As they appeared to be getting weak, I 

 determined to spoon feed with warm diluted milk ; to this they offered much 

 resistance at first, but after a couple of days got quite to enjoy it, and 

 walked very strong. They were not easily frightened, but whenever they lost 

 sight of each other, while wandering from room to room, they became much 

 disturbed— constantly making the shrill bird-like chirrips until they met. On 





