The Rugby gazette and east Tennessee news. (Rugby, Morgan Co., Tenn.) 1884-188?, 1885-06-06
NATAL.
The wild Animals That Abound IN South
fwfra.

There are no tigers in Africa. Thisis
q fact which is not generally known,
for one constantly hears of"tiger"- hurts
at the Cape--a mistake that is caused
by the native habit of calling any crea-
ture belonging to the cat or tiger FAM
lily "tiger." Colonists also fall into
the Same mistake. Panthers and Loop
ards are Unfortunately Tigers to the
Kaffir, and the wildcats are all "tiger-
CATS" and even these so-called ''tigers,"
which are IN reality a small kind
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 As the farms and villages have
increased, they have retreated further
inland, so that the report of one being
seen about village or farm creates
quite sensation, and he is soon hunted
and killed, or driven back to his proper
domain. The increasing scarcity of this
particular kind of game" though a
matter Of lament to spOrtsmen, is for
tunate for the farmer, as these animals
are terrible robbers The depredations
which even one will commit in herd
Or flock are ruinous, because they not
only kill what they eat at the time, but
they like to have a well-flled larder,
and when they get chance lay up pro-
visions in some secret place for a future
day, leopard not being, imagine,
Over-particular as to the state of preser-
walton his dinner may be in when he
requires it. This is such difficult ami
NAL to get at, that Kaffir who man
ages to kill one is regarded as kind of
hero, and receives an ovation from his
brother-Kaffirs, who at the same time
are not little envious of him who has
earned snch a distinction. A leopard
is great prize to a Kaffir. Its teeth
and claws he strings together for a
necklace, and very well they look glis-
tening against his dark skin; the hide
he makes into a carross or rug; and the
tail is dangled by a string from his
waist. If he happens to have several OF
these ornaments hung round him he is
looked upon as q great swell, quite in
full Dress indeed. Kaffirs seem to think
that there is something royal about a
leopard's skin, and their chiefs thrones
are often composed of one thrown over
mound of earth.
Though the leopard is so scarce in
Natal that persons need have little fear
of coming face to face with one, yet
there is smaller edition of the same
tribe which is more to 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 unwisely keep their fowls
in, as 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.
Another kind of cat also does a deal Of
harm in Natal, namely, the common cal
run wild. Cats get driven away from
home, or left behind when people leave
their farms, these coIonise, 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 were
perfectly wild. l have heard people say
that these cats become fiercer and de
more harm than even the bush-cats.
There are some other enemies to poul
try of all kinds, which should be care
fully kept at distance. One of these
is the jackal, the black-backed one be-
ing the most common in Natal. Thi.
animal is gifted with a rapacious appe
tite, to which nothing comes amiss. He
will walk off with any small, weak crea
lures that come in his way. Fowls
young pigs, lambs, and even small pup
pies are never safe from him; and he
has been known to enter houses anc
take even the cooked meat. Luckily
they, too, are getting scarcer in Natal
though there are still a number lef
about Cape Town. The Kafiirs make
splendid carrosSes of their skins, par
ticularly of the rare silver iackal, very
handsome animal, which skins they sew
together with perfectly even stitches.
The most skilled workwoman could no
do them better, though the process
must require great deal of patience
from the peculiar manner in which they
sew. They punch holes with a strong
thorn in the edges of the things they
want to fasten together, and then pas
a long piece of sinew as fine as q threaC
backwards and forwards through tn,
holes.
Another South African animal mucl
sought after for the sake of its prett,
fur must also be refused admittance t,
to the fowl-house. 1t is one of tn,
smallest of foes, and can therefore cree
through very small hole. 1t is callet
the asse or caama. 1t does not xii
fowls. Its speciality is eggs of all kinds
Even the egg of the ostrich is not SAT-
from it. AS its teeth are too small t.
break through the shell, it rolls the egg
about until they smash against tn
other eggs, or something hard. The.
are excessively greedy. | have had
nestful of eggs taken off in no time, n
doubt by one of these creatures The,
have no objection to an egg havin,
been sat upon; added ones and al
kinds are acceptable. Chambers Joa,