The National tribune., 1889-10-17

|
! that this beast was man-eater. aud was there
fore in every respect exceptional; the preva-
! lent belief being that taste of human blood
! eXeTts some mysterious power by which the
nature of tho beast is suddenly changed. No
more does mental transformation thus occur
than physical metaiRprphosis, Natural science
| rejects both doctrines as impossible. A great
! deal has been said upon the instantaneous and
| radical alteration wrought in the great cats 10y
| devouring man, and it would be very easy TO
| bring forward a long array of authorities to
/ show that IL takes place. But independently
Of the scientific objection TO this theory, and
of the fact that it always appears in the shape
of blank assertion, without shadow of
! proof to support il. the phenomena which really
take place can be accounted for without as
/ sumiug any occult influence eXcrted by tho
! ingestien of mans flesh or blood In common
with all animals. the first and most pressing
necessity for the panther is food. Like all the
/ carnivora, his powers are specialized for its
procurement. Game supply is in the nature OF
! things uncertain, and SO much so that, like the
hunting-tiger, the panther is seldom fat.
WHEN, HOWEVER, HE BEGINS 10 DEvouR MEN,
this practice is always continued, because in
/ his new haunts men are more easily come by,
| and more easily caught and killed than ante
! lOpes or deer. Then, also, the qualities which
had hitherto been exercised uunutccd IN the
forest ut once attain terrible celebrity, and rs
/
been before unOhservcd. their existence rs
explained by theories manufactured TO fit the
occasion. To the llindus or Hillmen, man
eater Is an emssary of silva, the Destroyer, or
an instrument of fate; an incarnation of some
ancestral spirit, or nature demon, who, inspired
/ with preternatural malevolence and foresight,
rOams the jungle with flaming eyes, and with
! the ghosts of his victims riding upon his head.
/ When murderous wild beasts obtrude them
/ selves upon the notice of civilized people their
/ conduct Is otherwise explained Man being
\ the central object in nature uniting in him
4 self the structural Projections distributed
/ through the class to which he belongs, and
alone distinguished by the possession of n mind,
/ all inferior creatures stand IN awe Of him, and
| il he is eaten by some desperate and starving
! brute. the same goes mad over such act of
/ sacricge, and Is hCnceiOrth unaCeountablc, and
/ an exceptional creature, 20 whom ordinary laws
/ do not apply. Ii is submitted that such is the
sense, If not the language, OF the doctrine Of
/ instinct in animals as expoundCd with refer
encc 10 their innate fear of human beings. As
a matter OF practical fact, 4 panther charged
! into the midst Of Col. Barras's party IN the
open, and crippled him for life another mount
/ cd tree IN the face Of Capt Baldwin's rifles
and tore his gun bearer down. and third. uu-
wounded and unprovokcd. leaped into the cav
alcade led by Col. Campbell, and striking to
! the earth horse and his rider fastened upon
/ blood when he was killed.
The personal appearance OF animals Of this
kind, and their general mode of life, possesses a
certain amount OF interest. In the first place
the panther bears, and the leopard, of course,
! also, the Distinguishing characters of those
| larger groups into which biologists have d.
vided structurally related animals. More par
/ ticularly. however panthers aud leopards are
caruiy0rous creatuFes-huntng-ca whose
/ traits are thus described by w n. Loclsington:
These fthe Caruivores) are beasts Of prey, are
= 9 all hesh-eaters and their organization
/ Is IN accordance with their mode of life. Not
/ only Is their structure affected but their mcn-
| tai system rs well shows the results of their
4 predatory habits" The cats tFeidP), which
/ are " the most carnivorous OF the carniyora.
/ formed TO dev0ur with every offensive weapon
specialized 10 the utmost are g relatively to
their size, the herccst, strongest ana most ter.
! rible Of beasts" An outline Of their special
structure has already been sketcled, but we
\ may add that besides the perfectly adapted eve,
/ tooth. claw. foot and muscular apparatus. the
! highly-devclopcd parts Of the brain, in which
! the faculties Of sense reside. or with which
! these are correlated. the simply formed stOm-
a-hr aud short digestive tract, with the large
I range Of motion possessed by the forelimbs.
/ all mani fest the complete accordance of their
organization with the conditions ofexistencc.
Maj. Leveson sketches the following portrait
Of the panther. aud as this is not treatise on
I comparative anatomy, IL is given as II stands.
/ The panther" he Observes is by far
THE LARGEST AND MOST POWERFUL OF THE
THREE SPECIES"
into which he enormously supposed the Indian
Feiid@ independently Of the tiger aud lion To
be divided. The animal" he continues " frc-
quently measures eight feet in length from the
nose TO the end OF the tall lie has a we'll.
defined b0ny ridge along the center Of the skull
q az he gff ha
which rs not noticeable in the leopard OF chez
tab. The skin, which shines like silk is 81 rich
! tawuy or orange tan above, and white under
meath, marked ON each side with seven lines Of
/ resets, each consisting Of au assemblage Of five
or six black spots in the center Of which the
fawHy or fulvous ground Of the skin shows dis
tincty through the black. The cxtremities
are marked with borseshoe-shaped or round
black spots Few animals can 6urpass the pau
/ tber ia point of beauty. and none in elegance
/ or grace His every motion is easy aud acx-
/ lie IN the highest degree; he bounds among
the rocks and woods with an agility truly
ama2ing-now stealing along the ground with
/ the silence Of a snake. now erouching, with his
! lorepaws extended aud his head laid bctwixt
/ them, while his chequered tail witches impa.
tently. aud his pale, goOseberry eyes glare mis-
chiegOusly upon his nnsuspectiHg victim" IL
may be- added 10 this description, that when
J the panther fights at ali, he does 30 with the
most reckless and desperate ferocty; while his
1 charge which Is made ia a series Of long rapid
/ bounds, Is executed with such extreme rapidty
/ that famous shots have declared il 10 be like
/ aiming az yellow streak 10 get a rife 10
/ bear upon him while advancing. If there is
| any fixed degree u which the cat mammaIia
! possess courage in their yarions groups, this
has not yet been discovered. What Yas said Of
/ tigers in this regard applies to the panther
| also. and 70 far as the records Of experience
| will carry ~. though the latter is babitually
Drawer than the former, yet he will often die
/ like a cur, aud without struggle for life.
! Capt SAakspeIe and others have speared pam
theirs from the saddle. and with the leopard
| this is not very uncommon feat.
Hitherto, in speaking Of the animals which
| il was intended 10 describe the panther alone
has been referred TO- IL has been said that
biologists commonly regard them as varieties
but their specific difference Is a mistake very
widely diiused and very generally accepted :;
| 80 that it Is worth while, in the interests Of
natural history. 10 consider the matter more at
/ length. Capt Baldwin Large aud Small Game
oi Bengal places the leopard and panther dis.
tincty apart" After referring 10 those differ
I cntiai characters which have been already no
uced hc ayers that the shape Of the head is
20 different as 10 have specific value and
therefore settles the question. Besides this he
states that the ground color and markings of
the animals are unlike, concluding his argu-
ment with the remark that he " never met
with an experienced Central Indian sports
man F" who supposed these creatures TO be Of
the same species. IL will be shown that many
great hunters have entertained contrary views
buf Il auly fair ia odd fi.af IN, tic ,,ro,,..5