64 • WILD ANIMALS. 



often, also, patclies of ttick jungle extend close up to tlie village ; 

 or the village itself may be built on tbe skirt of a rocky, jungly 

 hill, for the sake of a dry and well-raised site. In either case 

 there is good cover for marauding beasts of prey, whether their 

 object be human or quadruped life. This leopard roamed over 

 the ground occupied by eight or ten villages, with a circle of, 

 roughly, about ten miles diameter, and was one day at one 

 village, and another day, perhaps some miles away at another 

 place; he never remained two days together in one patch of 

 jungle. 



" The village children would be at play in the village gardens, 

 or a group of girls and women would be drawing water from the 

 well sunk in the watercourse when, in the twinkling of an eye, 

 the spotted fiend would be in their midst, holding on with blood- 

 thirsty grip to the throat of a helpless victim; A burst of screams, 

 and frantic rush of women and children to the village, would 

 instantly follow ; but, by the time that the men who happened to 

 be at home could catch up clubs and spears and sally out, nothing 

 but a torn and blood-stained corpse ; or, should the victim have 

 been a small child, nothing but a little spilt blood would remain 

 to show the tragedy which bad just taken place." 



This animal was subsequently shot or driven away by a police 

 constable, but the body of the creature, although unmistakably 

 wounded, was never found, and in consequence its death was not 

 assured. 



Major-Greneral Shakspear relates the experience of a friend 

 of his who possessed two tame panthers that followed him 

 about and with whom he played like dogs. One day the dog- 

 boy who fed them, accompanied by a little girl, went into the 

 hut in which they were generally chained, and found one loose : 

 he rapidly retreated, but the animal fell upon the little girl and 

 killed her before any assistance could be given. 



Another writer states that he knew an officer in India who had 

 a tame panther nearly full-grown that he usually kept chained up, 

 but, being apparently an amiable and good-dispositioned pet, it 

 was indulged occasionally with its freedom, so that it could get a 

 run. One day it was observed to be carefully stalking a small child 



