The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1885-07-28
NATAL
The wild Animate That ABOUND IN south
Africa.

The wild AnimalS That ADouno IN Souln
Africa.
There are no tigers in Africa. This is .
q fact which is not generally known, !
for one constantly hears of''tiger" hunts
at the Cape-a mistake that is caused
by the native habit of calling any crea-
ture belonging 20 the cat or tiger fam
ily a tiger" Colonists also fall into
the same mistake. Panthers and Loop
ards are indiscriminately 'tigers" to the
Kaffir, and the wildcats are all tiger
cats" and even IL so-called tigers"
which are IN rea, ty small kind OF
leopard. have become so rare in the civ
ilized parts that tiger hunt there IS
now a rare diversion.
Leopards are exceedingly shy crea'
lures. A the farms and villages have
increased. they have retreated fur. her
inland, 80 that the report of one beng
seen about a village or farm creates
quite a sensation. and he is soon hunted
and killei, or driven back 10 his proper
domain The increasing scarcity OF this
par ocular kind of game" though
matter of lament TO >pOrtSmen, Is for
| tunate for the farmer, Is these animals
are terrible robbers. The deprcdations
which even one Will commit in Il herd
| or flock are ruinous, because they not
! only Kill what sley eat at the time, but
thev like 10 have well-filled larder,
/ and when they get chance lay up pro-
visions in some secret place for future
day. leopard no: IeinE, L imagine,
oyer-particular IS TO the stat OF preSer-
vation his dinner NAV be in when he
requires il. This is such difficult AMI
NAL TO get at, that a katiir who man
ages 10 kill one is regarded as kind Of
hero, and receives an ovation from his
brother-kaflirs, who at the same time
are not a little envious of him who has
earned such a distinction. A leopard
is great prize to kaffir. Its teeth
and claws he strings together for 3
necklace, and very well they look glis-
tening against his dark skin; the hide
he makes into a carross or rug: and the
tai is dangled by string from his
waist. If he happens to have several of
these ornaments hung round him he is
locked upon as great swell, quite in
full dress. indeed. kaffirs seem TO think
that there is something royal about q
leopard's skin, and their chefs thrones
are often composed of one thrown over
q mound of earth.
Though the leopard is so scarce IN
Natal that persons need have little fcaT
of coming face 10 face with one, yet
there is smaller edition OF the same
, tribe which is more 10 be dreaded. on
account of its frequent and daring dep
relations in the poultry-yard. This IS
the '.tiger-cat," or, properly speaking,
bush-cat Wherever there are fowls to
, be had, these creatures will haunt the
|. place, and take every one, unless the
fowls are securely shut up. They break
through the Kaffir-built hutS, which
people often unwi>ely keep their fowls
IN, as a neighbor of ours found to his
cost, for one morning all his fowls were
strewn about dead in the fowl-house,
killed by the tiger-cat. These creatures
are much larger than the common cat,
and very fierce and strong, though ca
pable of being tanned.
e Another kind of cat also does a deal OF
: harm in Natal, namely, the common cat
run wild. Cats get driven away from
= home, or left behind when people leave
I their farms, these colonise, and become
great pests. When we left our house,
there was a brood of kittens on the roo
, which We could not get near; they We're
perfectly wild. have heard people say
that these cats become fiercer and dc
more harm than even the bu>h-cat'.
There are some other enem. es TO poul
try of all kinds, which should be care
fully kept at a distance. One of these
: Is the jackal, the black-backed one be
inc the most common in Natal Ihi
y animal is gifted with rapacious appe
tite. to which nothing comes ami>s. liz
, will walk off with any small, weak crea
3 lures that come in his way. Fowls
:. Young pigs, lambs, and even small pup
u pies are never safe from him; and In
e has been known TO enter houses an
a take even the cooked m at. Luckily
D they. too. are getting scarcer in Natal
e though there are still q number lei
about Cape Town. The katfirs max
- splendid carrOSSeS of their skins, paJ
n ticularly of the rare silver iackal, yer
handsome animal, which skins they se'
together with perfectly even stitches
The most skilled workwoman could nc
D do them better, though the process
must require great deal of patience
At from the peculiar manner in which the
sew. They punch holes with siron
thorn in the edges of the things the
- want to fasten together, and then pas
-, long piece of sinew as fine as threa
ID backwards and forwards through tn
holes.
ID Another South African animal muc
sought after for the sake of its pre;t
ID fur must also be refused admittance
" TO the fowl-house. 1t is one of I'll
Or smallest of foes, and can therefore cree
through a very small hole. 1t is Gale
az the aSse or caama. 1t docs not 81
I'd fowls. Its specially is eggs of all kind
- q. - Co