The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1906-01-19
THE
PnOFESSOR'S PANTHER
BY Dallas Lore Sharp.
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES.

NOR some reason. never seemed
10 feel the bearing of my
hlutS concerning ii. The panther was
magnificent male specimen. mount
ed in the central case of the museum
a crouching. crawling figure. so terri.
bly, realistic that l had To school my
self to go past it at night without a
shiver.
You certainly saw that beast when
1t was alive. professor" | remarked
one day, rs we were rearranging some
of the smaller specimens in the case.
That's a study from life Look AT the
curve Of his back. And those shoul-
ders. | can almost see them work be-
meath the skin"
Il can see them work" the old ~
feSSor replied, pauSing n moment 10
look 1T the beast: and I'm likely to.
as long rs | can see anything" lie
added.
l kept d.screctIy silent, and he went
on:
1T is a study from life. as YOU have
guessed, and the best mount. think.
in the collection. though the study was
made in Florida and the mounting done
here.
THAT was 4 peculiarly vivid lesson
| had there. quite sufficient i'm a taxi
dermical way. for the rest of my life.
Il was collecting along the Indian
River. near where Nicco stands now.
taking specimens OF everything. from
the largest alIiGatorS down. 1t was a
rich country there then. as crowded
with wild beasts aS monageric.
PantherS were by no means rare. and
had taken two when came upon the
tracks of this fellow i'm the sand along
the river
THE print Of his foot measured twice
that of the specimens had taken. and
my ambition was stirred | wanted
that big panthcr-for the very spot
where YOU see him now. But he was
as wary rs he was big. | never could
get sight of him-perhaps because
was afraid of his getting sight of me
first.
Il trailed him up and down the river.
and finally found beaten path that
in through the brake TO a heavily tim
bered crest The grass about the end
of the path was so heavy and the run
way so hard-packed that no footprint
showed: hut ont along the river the
signs of his coming and going i'm this
vicinity were 50 numerous that | de-
termined TO risk my chances in the
path.
The surcst. quickest way 10 have
taken him. if this were the runway
Of the beast. would have been to lie in
wait at some good place along the path
and shoot him-provided. Of course.
that the wind. Tive light and the aim
were all Just right.
But this was asking too much: be
sides, | was constantly busy collecting.
and couldn't spare the time it might
take 10 wait. So | took the two big
bear traps that ! had at camp. and set
them in the path. trusting that the
panther. in an abSent-mindcd moment.
might walk into one of them.
1T is seldom that a wild animal. eS-
pecially n panther. has an absent
minded moment Human beings are
much more liable to them. according
to my experience. though up to this
time | had not known it.
Il selected narrow. valled-in place
along the path. where the bushes were
so thick on each side that the beast
would not be likely to leave the trail.
Here. too. was a sharp rise OF ground
for about twenty feet.
AT the bottom Of this ! sot one tran
and twenty feet away. on the very
He could hardly 90 up and down that
hill without stepping into one OF those
traps
but he did. even though I had con
cealed the traps 50 sE.lfully that no eye
could easily have detected them That
very night a small manatee that !
had caught late in the afternoon was
dragged from near the tent and half
eaten i'm the bushes alongshorp. the
marks i'm the sand telling plainly that
the thief was the big panther.
\ visit 10 the traps showed them
undisturbed Perhaps the beast had
come out by some other path.
ITO make sure. fixed four slender
sticks across the run. 50 that nothing
could pass without brushing them
aside.
The next day found tho sticks
down. Something had been through
the path. and something large. too; but
the traps had not been touched.
Hoping that the creature might be-
come used TO their presence and 50
grow careless. left them several days
without changing wherein | again
showed my ignorance 81 wild animals.
1T was folly to imagine that so keen
creature a. a panther would walk
abroad in his sleep and catch himself
Nevertheless. I went down the river