24 THE BIOLOGICAL REVIEW. 



with the alarming intelligence that one of his cows had been 

 killed and partly eaten by some wild animal, which he had 

 reasons for believing was a panther. As he had been accus- 

 tomed to hunting tigers, wild boars and other beasts in India, 

 his opinion and judgment was treated with respect, yet we could 

 not account for the appearance in the neighbourhood, only a few 

 miles north of the town, of animals powerful enough to kill and 

 drag a cow nearly half a mile, and half way up a very steep hill 

 on the farm where it was afterwards found. 



He told us that when he saw the cow dead and torn he came 

 to the conclusion, from various observations, that it was killed 

 by neither a bear, lynx or wolf, but he believed it to be by a 

 panther or catamount. He said he spent a large portion of the 

 night in a tree not far off, with his rifle, watching in the hope of 

 getting a shot, but the animal, or whatever it was, did not 

 reappear while he was there ; but the next morning the cow had 

 disappeared, and he traced it to where it had been dragged. 



His chief object in coming to the town was to beat up 

 recruits amongst his friends for a general hunt, in the hope of 

 finding and killing his dangerous neighbour before any further 

 harm could be done. 



We eagerly acceded to his request. There was a spice of 

 danger in the enterprise, and he soon obtained a dozen resolute 

 fellows, ready and willing to risk their lives in search of 

 adventure. 



The next day we started bright and early for the general 

 rendezvous at his farm house, and soon afterwards commenced 

 our tedious tramp. 



We searched the dense woods, deep, dark swamps, and 

 every place of concealment in a circuit of many miles, but 

 without effect. We came upon one place where it was plain to 

 be seen some animal of the cat species had been sharpening its 

 claws, for a tree had been torn and the bark scratched in many 

 places. We walked all day, and examined as well as the 

 nature of the dark forest and thick foliage would permit, and 

 returned at sundown, tired, weary and disappointed, to partake 

 of a splendid dinner provided for us by our hospitable host. 



I cannot remember the names, at this distance of time, of 



