fishing rod, the endmost one being
covered with bird-lime. Concealing himself behind his bamboo screen the
Bahelia approaches the bird and when near enough strikes and secures
it with his rod; or he may spread some grain out at a short distance,
and as the birds are hopping about over it he introduces the pole,
giving it a zig-zag movement and imitating as far as possible the
progress of a snake. Having brought the point near one of the birds,
which is fascinated by its stealthy approach, he suddenly jerks
it into its breast and then drawing it to him, releases the poor
palpitating creature, putting it away in his bag, and recommences
the same operation. This method does not require the use of bird-lime.

8. Hunting with leopards

The manner in which the Chita Pardhis use the hunting leopard (_Felis
jubata_) for catching deer has often been described. [413] The leopard
is caught full-grown by a noose in the manner related above. Its neck
is first clasped in a wooden vice until it is half-strangled, and its
feet are then bound with ropes and a cap slipped over its head. It is
partially starved for a time, and being always fed by the same man,
after a month or so it becomes tame and learns to know its master. It
is then led through villages held by ropes on each side to accustom
it to the presence of human beings. On a hunting party the leopard is
carried on a cart, hooded, and, being approached from down wind, the
deer allow the cart to get fairly close to them. The Indian antelope or
black-buck are the usual quarry, and as these frequent cultivated land,
they regard country carts without suspicion. The hood is then taken off
and the leopard springs forward at the game with extreme velocity,
perhaps exceeding that which any other quadruped possesses. The
accounts given by Jerdon say that for the moment its speed is greater
than that of a race-horse. It cannot maintain this for more than three
or four hundred yards, however, and if in that distance the animal has
not seized its prey, it relinquishes the pursuit and stalks about in
a towering passion. The Pardhis say that when it misses the game the
leopard is as sulky as a human being and sometimes refuses food for a
couple of days. If successful in the pursuit, it seizes the antelope
by the throat; the keeper then comes up, and cutting the animal's
throat collects some of the blood in the wooden ladle with which the
leopard is always fed; this is offered to him, a