THE HIGHER NARBADA 267 



marked with, rosettes (the fulvous ground of the skin 

 showing through the black), instead of plain black spots, 

 which, are peculiar to the Hunting Leopard {F. Jubata). 

 He calls both F. Pardua, considering them only as varieties, 

 not distinct species. In English he calls the larger the 

 pantber and the smaller the leopard, and it will be well 

 if sportsmen will avoid future confusion by adopting 

 this appropriate nomenclature. The points of difference 

 between the two varieties of F. Pardus he states to be 

 tbe larger size of the panther, which reaches in fine speci- 

 mens seven feet eleven inches in length from nose to tip 

 of tail, the leopard not exceeding five feet six inches; 

 the lighter colour, and taller and more slender figure of 

 the panther, and the rounder, more bulldog-like head 

 of the leopard. 



In my early sporting days I fell into the mistake of 

 most sportsmen in supposing that the panther might be 

 hunted on foot with less caution than the tiger. On 

 two or three occasions I nearly paid dearly for the error ; 

 and I now believe that the panther is really by far a 

 more dangerous animal to attack than the tiger. He is, 

 in the first place, far more courageous. For though 

 he will generally sneak away unobserved as long as he 

 can, if once brought to close quarters he will rarely fail 

 to charge with the utmost ferocity, fighting to the very 

 last. He is also much more active than the tiger, making 

 immense springs clear off the ground, which the tiger 

 seldom does. He can conceal himself in the most wonder- 

 ful way, his spotted hide blending with the ground, and 

 his lithe loose form being compressible into an inconceivably 

 small space. Further, he is so much less in depth and 

 stoutness than the tiger, and moves so much quicker, 

 that he is far more diflB.cult to hit in a vital place. He 

 can cUmb trees, which the tiger cannot do except for 

 a short distance up a thick sloping trunk. A few years 

 ago a panther thus took a sportsman out of a high perch 

 on a tree in the Chindwara district. And lastly, his 

 powers of offence are scarcely inferior to those of the tiger 

 himself; and are amply sufficient to be the death of any 

 man he gets hold of. When stationed at Damoh, near 



