A CHAT ABOUT INDIAN WILD BEASTS. 161 
Panthers ; there were cane-brakes in their midst,—they were of 
course straggling places,—and out of these. almost impenetrable 
lairs Messrs. Mackenzie and Campbell shot several Panthers. I 
killed a couple in Hazoo. A Leopard is more difficult to cir- 
cumvent than a Tiger, as it approaches its kill in the most wary 
and cautious manner, examining every yard of the ground, and, 
being arboreal in its habits, it scans the surrounding trees, which 
a Tiger only does after it has been shot at once or twice from a 
coign of vantage. ‘They prowl about after sunset till dawn in 
search of prey. 
Another peculiarity of the Leopard tribe is that when an 
animal has been killed by one, it commences to feed upon the fore 
quarter and viscera, whilst the Tiger attacks the hind. A man- 
eating Tiger is bad enough, but when Panthers take to preying 
on the human kind they are ten thousand times worse, as they 
force their way into the frail huts of the natives and devour the 
people. In some places in the Nizam’s dominions, on the borders 
of the Nirmal Jungle, the average of deaths from Panthers was 
one man a day; whilst in others it rose to two! I have known 
whole districts deserted on account of these scourges, and it is 
almost impossible to exterminate a family, as the caves they 
generally inhabit have underground passages, and to smoke them 
out is impossible ; there are, too, so many entrances, that where 
to sit up is also an uncertainty. Yet native shikaries, by means 
of crossbows and poisoned arrows, kill a great many Leopards 
and Panthers a year for the sake of the reward offered by 
Government. 
Whilst a “ griff’’ at Secunderabad, three of us lived together. 
We had a Panther, then more than half grown, which had been 
captured when a baby and carefully brought up. We used to 
go up on to the flat-terraced roof and take the Panther with 
us. One of us would sit down at the further end with his 
back towards the beast, who was then let loose ; in fact, in those 
days he was seldom confined. Directly the beast thought he. 
could do so unperceived, he would stalk the sitter, who took care 
to stand up and face the brute before it got within springing 
distance, and it was amusing to see the innocent look it would 
put on, and gaze in any direction rather than to where the 
ottoman was placed; he would then be removed further off and 
Zool, 4th Ser. vol. II., April, 1898. M 
