446 
CARNIVORES. 
tight, he carefully cut the throat close to the jaws of the tenacious animal. As the 
blood spurted from the wound it was caught in a large but shallow wooden bowl 
or ladle, furnished with a handle. When this was nearly full, the mask was taken 
off the chita, and, upon seeing the spoon full of blood it relaxed its grasp, and 
immediately began to lap the blood from the well-known ladle. When the meal 
was finished, the mask or hood was replaced, and the chita was once more confined 
within its cage, as it would not run again during that day.” 
Another account, written many years ago by the late Mr. G. T. Vigne, lnay be 
quoted, as somewhat amplifying the preceding one in certain points. The hunting- 
leopard, as soon as slipped from the cart, “ walks towards the antelope with his tail 
straightened and slightly raised, the hackle on his shoulders erect, his head depressed, 
and his eyes intently fixed upon the poor animal, who does not yet perceive him. 
As the antelope moves he does the same, first trotting, then cantering after him; 
and when the prey starts oft’, the chita makes a rush, to which the speed of a 
racehorse is for the moment much inferior. The cliitas that bound or spring 
upon their prey are not much esteemed, as they are too cunning; the good ones 
fairly run it down. When we consider that no English greyhound ever yet, I 
believe, fairly ran down a doe antelope, which is faster than the buck, some idea 
may be formed of the stride and velocity of an animal who usually closes with her 
immediately, but, fortunately, cannot draw a second breath, and, consequently, 
unless he strike the antelope down at once, is obliged instantly to stop and give up 
the chase. He then walks about for three or four minutes in a towering passion, 
after which he again submits to be helped on the cart. He always singles out the 
biggest buck from the herd, and holds him by the throat until he is disabled, 
keeping one paw over the horns to prevent injury to himself. The doe he seizes 
in the same manner, but is careless of the position in which he holds her.” 
Many tame hunting-leopards become perfectly gentle and docile, rubbing 
themselves against the knees of visitors, and purring all the time like so many large 
cats. It should be observed that the tamed individuals of this species merely use 
their own natural instinct, and develop no new mental powers as the result of 
training. 
Extinct Cats. 
In the course of this chapter reference has been made to the occurrence of 
existing species of the Cat family in cavern and other superficial deposits. There 
are, however, in addition to these, a large number of fossil cats, differing more 
or less markedly from all existing species, and many of which belong to extinct 
genera; and no account of the family would be complete without some reference, 
brief though it must necessarily be, to these extinct types. Some of these as shown 
by the greater number of their teeth, and other characters, belong to what 
naturalists call more generalised types, and may have been the ancestral forms 
from which the living cats have originated; while others are more specialised than 
even any of the species living. 
Referring first to what may be called true extinct cats, or those belonging to 
the genus Felis, we may mention that from strata belonging to the Pliocene or 
upper portion of the Tertiary period in the Siwalik Hills of India, there have been 
