Jungle By- Ways in India 



and appears to be more particularly partial to 

 the rocky and hilly portions of the country. 

 There are considered to be two varieties : the 

 panther, which is the larger, the average length 

 of which may be taken at 7 feet ; and the smaller 

 one, the leopard, the average length of which is 

 about 6 feet 4 inches. The animal may be said 

 to range from 5-8 feet in length, the average 

 height at the shoulder being about 2 feet. 

 The largest leopard recorded measured 8 feet ^l 

 inches, shot by Captain A. G. Arbuthnot (The 

 Sportsman's Book for India), whilst H.H. the 

 Maharaja of Cooch Behar killed one measuring 

 8 feet 4 inches (The Asian). 



Anything over 7 feet 6 inches would be nowa- 

 days considered a big leopard. 



The period of gestation is fifteen weeks, the 

 breeding time being February . and March, 

 whilst the cubs number from two to four. The 

 animal takes about three years to reach full 

 growth. 



I do not know whether 'spots' exhibits more 

 craft and skill in approaching a goat tied up as a 

 bait for him — for on occasions his greed and long- 

 ing for the appetising morsel overcomes his natural 

 sagacity and cunning, and he makes the one 

 irretrievable mistake — or in escaping from a beat 

 without offering his person to a shot from one 

 of the posted rifles. Certainly in a beat he is little 

 short of marvellous. Almost might one say will 



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