214 TO LAKE NAIVASHA [ch. ix 
pocket gophers, which have similar habits. So the 
long-tailed gerbils, or gerbil-like rats, resembled our 
kangaroo rats ; and there was a blunt-nosed, stubby¬ 
tailed little rat superficially hardly to be told from our 
rice rat. But the most characteristic rodent—the big 
long-tailed, jumping springhaas, resembled nothing of 
ours ; and there were tree rats and spiny mice. There 
were grey monkeys in the trees around camp, which the 
naturalists shot. 
Heller trapped various beasts—beautifully marked 
genets and a big white-tailed mongoose which was very 
savage. But his most remarkable catch was a leopard. 
He had set a steel trap, fastened to a loose thorn 
branch, for mongoose, civets, or jackals. It was a 
number two Blake, such as in America we use for 
coons, skunks, foxes, and perhaps bobcats and coyotes. 
In the morning he found it gone, and followed the trail 
of the thorn branch until it led into a dense thicket, 
from which issued an ominous growl. His native boy 
shouted “ Simba!” but it was a leopard, not a lion. 
He could not see into thd thicket; so he sent back to 
camp for his rifle, and when it came he climbed a tree 
and endeavoured to catch a glimpse of the animal. He 
could see nothing, however, and finally fired into the 
thicket rather at random. The answer was a furious 
growl, and the leopard charged out to the foot of the 
tree, much hampered by the big thorn branch. He put 
a bullet into it, and back it went, only to come out and 
to receive another bullet; and he killed it. It was an 
old male, in good condition, weighing one hundred and 
twenty-six pounds. The trap was not big enough to 
contain his whole paw, and he had been caught firmly 
by one toe. The thorn bush acted as a drag, which 
prevented him from going far, and yet always yielded 
