Sharp County record., 1885-06-11
NATAL,
The Wild Animals That Abound n =
Africa.

fact which is not generally kror| It s.
for one constantly hears of f'tigern .bn,1 ,ym
at the Cape-a mistake that is cam yea
by the native habit of calling apv o., enc
ture belonging to the cat or tiger f,r ain
lily tiger" Colonists also fall j., qu'
the same mistake. Panthers and lo,' pod
ards are inGiscriminately tigers to + pr
Kaffir, and the wildcats are all ,tins ige
cats" and even these so-called "tioprs mel
which are IN reality a small kind j ,'na
leopard, have become so rare in the cr I'VE
ilized parts that tiger hunt thers att
now a rare diversion. al
LeopardS are exceedingly shv cra, ux
lures. As the farms and Villages Lar.rl;o
increased, they have retreated fnrtS.'a
inland, so that the report of one bein, n
seen about village or farm creas tC
quite sensation, and he is soon hmtsi he
and killed, or driven back to his prom, fe
domain. The increasing scarcity of tbs M I'M
particular kind of game" though ra
matter OF lament to >portsmen, is TO. ii
tunate for the farmer, as these animal f
are terrible robbers. The depreciation, de,
which even one will commit in a bo,i n,
or flock are ruinouS, because they M We
only kill what they eat at the time, but n
they like to have well-flled larder nj
and when they get chance lay up prO. I've
visions in some secret place for fuhr ms
day, a leopard not being. imagine be
over-particular as to the state of prese.
walton his dinner may be in when ba al
requires it, This is such difficult ami. ov
NAL to oct at that a Katlir who man OF
ages to kill one is regarded as a kind Of p'
hero, and receives an ovation from bb Isl
brother who at the same time I
are not little enviouS of him who has IN
earned such a distinction. A leopard in
is q great prize to a kafiir. Its teeth II
and claws he strings together for g
necklace, and very well they look gls. y
tening against his dark skin; the hide 10
he makes into a carross or rug; and the
tail is dangled by string from his o
waist If he happens to have several Of .
these ornaments hung round him he is y
looked upon as great SWELL quite in y
full dress, indeed. Kailirs seem to think y
that there is something royal about 7 7
leopard 5 skin, and Their chiefs thrones =
are often composed of one thrown over y y
a mound of earth. :
Though the leopard is so scarce in I
Natal that persons need have little fear :.
of coming face to face with one, vet I
there is smaller edition of the same :
tribe which is more TO be dreaded, on I
account of its frequent and daring dep !
relations in the poultry-yard. This :
the "iger-cat," or, properly speaking I,
buSh-cat Wherever there are fowl, to
be had, these creatures will haunt the Z
place, and take every one, unless the
fowls are securely shut up. They break
through the Kafir-built huts, which
people often unwiSely keep their fowls .
IN, as a neighbor of ours found to his .
cost, for one morn NO all his fowls were
strewn about dead in the fowl-houSe
killed by the tigcr-cat. ines creatures
are much lager than the common cat,
and very 1ier>e and strong. though ca
pablr of being tanned.
Another kind of eat also does deal Of
harm in Natal, namely, the cOmmoncat
run wild. Cats get driven away from
home, or left behind when people leave
their farms, these colOniSe, and become
great pests. When we left our house,
there was a brood of kittens on the roof
which we could not get near; they were
perfectly wild. | have heard people say
that these cats become liercer and do
more harm than even the bu>h-cats
There are some other cncm 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-
ing the most common in Natal. lhs
animal is gifted with rapaciOu' appee-
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 ne
has been known to enter houses ana
take even the cooked meat Luckily,
they, too, are getting scarcer in Natal,
though there are still number lelt
about Cape Town. The Katlir' 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 nov
do them better, though the process
must require great deal of patience,
from the peculiar manner in which they
sew. They punch holes with strong
thorn in the edges of the things they
want to fasten together, and then pas,
a long piece of sinew as fine as thread
backwards and forwards through the
holes.
Another South African animal much
sought after for the sake of its preIy
fur must also be refused admittance "
to the fowl-house. 1t is one OF tne
smallest of foes, and can therefore creep
Ill,