The Leopard and Panther 157 



occasionally kill somebody, the public in those parts under- 

 stand that he was a sinner who deserved his fate. Leashed 

 tigers also were not uncommon in the courts of Hindu 

 rajahs, but since the time of the Indian Bacchus, whose 

 car they drew, panthers have rarely appeared in parades. 

 These savage brutes do not lend themselves to peaceful 

 pageants. From all accounts they are the most intractable 

 and untrustworthy of creatures — the least susceptible of 

 instruction, says Sanderson (" Thirteen Years among the 

 Wild Beasts of India "). 



Panthers have often been seen associated in families, but 

 they do not display what Professor Romanes calls "the col- 

 lective instinct in hunting." They can supply their needs 

 without resorting to these manoeuvres, and therefore have 

 not formed the habit of practising them. 



It sometimes happens that Felis pardus in all its forms 

 has to give up spoil. The lion takes its prey away, and 

 so does the tiger. Occasionally some blundering, black 

 rhinoceros comes upon the scene and puts the panther to 

 flight, or a herd of wild hogs does the same. Kuon 

 rutilans, the wild dog, is reported to be in the habit of 

 appropriating their supplies, and J. Moray Brown (" Shikar 

 Sketches ") states that he had personal knowledge of this 

 fact. Upon the whole, however, the beast in question is 

 not much molested. 



Over-boldness is disadvantageous to any animal, and 

 panthers suffer from their temerity in the way of getting 

 trapped more frequently than other members of their 

 family. General Morgan (" Memoirs ") remarks that " it 

 is a very common thing to catch a panther," but nobody 



