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THE LEOPARD 
281 
our greatest enemy, and although the cattle were 
well housed at night, and carefully watched when at 
pasture during the day, our losses were severe. I 
observed a peculiarity in the attacks by leopards ; 
they seldom appeared upon a bright summer day, but 
during the rainy season, when the wind was howling 
across the plain, and driving the cold mist and rain, 
the cattle were off their guard, and generally turned 
their tails to the chilly blast. It was invariably 
during such weather that the leopards attacked. 
The watchman was probably wrapped in his 
blanket, wet, and shivering beneath a tree, instead 
of remaining on the alert, and this auspicious 
moment was selected by the leopard for a success¬ 
ful stalk upon the unsuspecting herd. I have 
frequently lost both cows and sheep, that were 
attacked and killed in broad daylight, and the 
leopards were generally of sufficient strength to 
break the neck of a full-grown beast. It should be 
remembered that the native cattle are much smaller 
than those of Europe, and I do not think it would 
be possible for a leopard to dislocate the neck of 
any English cow. An example occurred when un¬ 
fortunately a valuable Ayrshire cow was attacked, 
and the leopard completely failed in the usual 
dexterous wrench, but the throat was so mangled 
that the cow died within a few days, although the 
leopard was driven away by the watchman almost 
immediately upon its onset. 
The wounds from the claws of a leopard are 
exceedingly dangerous, as the animal is in the habit 
