Wild Beasts and Their Ways, Reminiscences of Europe, Asia, Africa and America — Volume 1Baker, Samuel White, Sir
History
Wild Beasts and Their Ways, Reminiscences of Europe, Asia, Africa and America — Volume 1
Baker, Samuel White, Sir
Animal behavior; Hunting
The Felis jubata is totally different in shape from all other leopards.
Instead of being low and long, with short but massive legs, it stands
extremely high; the neck is long, the head small, the eyes large and
piercing; the legs are long, and the body light. The tail is extremely
long, and thick; this appears to assist it when turning sharply at full
speed. The black spots upon the skin are very numerous, and are simply
small dots of extreme black, without a resemblance of rings. It is
generally admitted that the hunting leopard is the fastest animal in the
world, as it can overtake upon open ground the well-known black-buck,
which surpasses in speed the highest bred English greyhound. I have
never had experience of this animal in a wild state; those I have known
were as gentle as dogs. It is a common mistake to suppose that they
invariably approach their game by a stealthy stalk, followed by a few
tremendous bounds, only to slink back if disgraced by defeat. I have
seen them run a long course in the open, exactly like a greyhound,
although the pace and action have resembled the long swinging gallop of
a monkey. The nature of this beautiful creature is entirely opposed to
the cat-like crouching tactics of the ordinary leopard: its large and
prominent eyes embrace a wide field of view; the length of neck and
legs, combined with the erect attitude of the head, denotes the
character of the animal, as it includes a vast distance in its gaze,
showing that it seeks its game upon a wide expanse of plain, instead of
surprising the prey by an unexpected and treacherous attack. This is the
only species that is a useful companion to man when engaged in field
sports; and the native princes of India have from time immemorial been
accustomed to train the Felis jubata for hunting deer and antelopes,
precisely as European nations have adopted the greyhound for the
coursing of hares.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account