58 THE LIVING ANIMALS OF THE WORLD 
as it passed, and with this in its mouth rushed past the owner of the hens, his servants and 
retainers, and reached a piece of thick scrub near with its prize. 
As the chaus is common both in India and Africa, a comparison of its habits in both conti- 
nents is somewhat interesting. Jerdon, the Indian naturalist, writes: «It is the common wild 
cat from the Himalaya to Cape Comorin, and from the level of the sea to 7,000 or 8,000 feet 
elevation. It frequents alike the jungles and the open country, and is very partial to long reeds, 
and grass, sugarcane-fields, and corn-fields. It does much damage to all game, especially to 
hares and partridges. Quite recently I shot a pea-fowl at the edge of a sugarcane-field. One 
of these cats sprang out, seized the pea-fowl, and after a short struggle—for the bird was not 
quite dead—carried it off before my astonished eyes, and, in spite of my running up, made 
his escape with his booty. It must have been stalking these very birds, so closely did its spring 
follow my shot. It is said to breed twice a year, and to have three or four young at a birth. I 
have very often had the young brought to me, but always failed in rearing them; and they 
always showed a savage and untamable disposition. I have seen numbers of cats about villages 
in various parts of the country that must have been hybrids between this cat and the tame ones.” 
The late Sir Oliver St. John was more fortunate with his jungle-cat kittens. He obtained 
three in Persia. These he reared till they were three months old, by which time they became 
so tame that they would climb on to his knees at breakfast-time, and behave like ordinary kit- 
tens. One was killed by a greyhound, and another by a scorpion—a curious fate for a kitten to 
meet. The survivor then became morose and ill-tempered, but grew to be a large and strong 
animal. “ Two English bull-terriers of mine, which would make short work of the largest domes- 
tic cat, could do nothing against my wild cat,” says the same writer. “In their almost daily 
battles the dogs always got the worst of it.” 
In Africa the chaus haunts the thick cover bordering the rivers. There it catches not only 
water-fowl, but also fish. According to Messrs. Nicolls and Eglington, “its spoor may con- 
stantly be seen imprinted on the mud surrounding such pools in the periodical watercourses as 
are constantly being dried up, and in which fish may probably be imprisoned without chance of 
escape.” The chaus has for neighbour in Africa the beautiful SERVAL, a larger wild cat. \ This 
species is reddish in colour, spotted on the body, and striped on the legs. The ears are long, but 
not tufted, like those of the lynx. The serval is more common in North and Central Africa than 
in the South. But it is also found south of the Tropic of Capricorn. Messrs. Nicolls and 
Eglington say of it: « Northward through South Central Africa it is fairly common. It fre- 
quents the thick bush in the vicinity of rivers. The £avosses, or mantles, made from its skins 
are only worn by the chiefs and very 
high dignitaries amongst the native 
tribes, and are in consequence eagerly 
sought after, on which account the 
species runs a risk of rapid extermi- 
nation. Its usual prey consists of 
the young of the smaller antelopes, 
francolins, and wild guinea-fowls, to 
the latter of which it is a most 
destructive enemy in the breeding- 
season. When obtained young, the 
serval can be tamed with little trouble; 
but it is difficult to rear, and always 
shows a singular and almost unac- 
countable aversion to black men. Its 
Photo by L. Medland, F,Z.8.] [North Finchley fi : ; 
SERVAL otherwise even temper is always 
This is a spotted cat, with long ears, but no tufts on them, as in the true lynwes aroused at the sight of a native. 
