THE GUN AT HOME AND ABROAD 
another litter, so that, as with lions, not only are leopards in the wild 
state slow breeders, but the majority of their offspring perish before 
reaching maturity. Leopards are solitary animals, both males and females 
usually living alone except during the pairing season. They are also much 
less noisy at nights than lions, though in parts of Africa where they are 
plentiful their harsh cry, a sort of rasping cough repeated several times 
in succession, is not infrequently heard. 
Except in the rare case of man-eaters, leopards will always retreat at 
once at the sight or scent of a human being, nor will they stand their 
ground when first attacked by dogs. They always first run off, and will 
often climb a tree to avoid them; but when brought to bay they will fight 
most savagely, inflicting terrible wounds both with teeth and claws. Once 
it has been wounded, a leopard becomes a most dangerous animal, as if 
followed up, it is almost certain to charge at the very first opportunity, 
whilst its small size, and the terrific speed with which it makes its rush, 
renders it very difficult to hit. Most of the natives I have seen who had 
been mauled by leopards had been badly clawed on the head. I have been 
twice charged by leopards when on horseback, and on both occasions they 
seemed to me to make as much noise as charging lions, emitting just the 
same kind of loud, hoarse coughing roars as those very much larger 
animals under similar circumstances. 
No special rifle is requisite for shooting leopards, as these animals are 
small-boned and thin-skinned, and can easily be killed by any of the 
modern small bores if hit in a vital spot. When charging, however, a 
leopard is undoubtedly a most difficult animal to stop, as it only offers a 
comparatively small mark and comes on at a terrific pace. A shot-gun 
loaded with buck-shot and a heavy charge of powder would undoubtedly 
be the best weapon with which to meet the charge of a leopard; but in all 
probability it would not be the one which a sportsman would have in his 
hands when a leopard charged. 
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