I K ) THE DEATH OF THE BEAR.
TJie poor jadecl ¡iijiinal is far diirerent froin nno in .1 wilil stale ; wliich instead
ol' boiiig liarasscci l.liroii,y]ioiit Liic day, and l)eii}g allowed a baro subsistence, is
ill Lbe bci^ffhl ol' vijyoijr, and would spucdily make ibe merry displayer of brnin's
aiil.ics luiow llic diilVrciice! Monkeys, w liicli liave l>cen before spoken of,
lu'ccssarily form a pari ofllio jiiffglcr's reliiuic. Those, dressed in various apparel,
for once or Iwicc ari' higlily auiusing; and perform a variety of tricks, which
must ha\o cost bolh inuji and master inliiiite pains to bring to such perfcclion.
T h o goat oij \^Jjicii ihe monkey generally rides, ihoiigh now and tlien he
skips over lo ll)e bear, ¡days his pari in the pantomime. The j i iggler has with
him several pieces of wood about the size and form of a common hour-glass.
One of ihese being placed on its end, the goat ascends, and conti-acls all his four
feet so as to stand on its to|), whicii is barely of a size to receive them. This
b e i n g done, the man brings another block, and gradually introduces it over ihe
edge of ihe /irsi, and causing ihe goat to shift lo it, one foot after annlher,
until by I his means lie rests all his four feet entirely on the second block, which
now stands perpendicular over the llrst. In ihis manner the whole number of
blocks, amounting to perhaps eight or nine, are in their turn introduced, till at
l e n g l h ihe goat is raised as high as the operator can reach so as to give due
assistance ; when llio blocks are willidrawn, one after another, and the goat is
b v degrees brought back to the ground. The care and sense of tlie diiliuultv
d i s p l a y e d by the goat arc truly interesting,
T h e fei't of bears, wliieh are very lough and callous, appear to be perfectly
calculated for the soil of those pavls in which they are mostly to be seen. The
boundaries of Dengid, bolh lo the easland west, wher e bears are most numerous,
are luuuntainous, very rocky, and over-rnn with low nnderwood. In such
places, unless the feet were extremely hard, the soles would soon be injured ;
e s p e c i a l l y as bears arc extremely partial to craggy situations, and arc fond of
c l i m b i n g among the rugged stones which everywhere cover the sides of the
h i l l s ; often indeed the violent norlh-weslers, oi- squalls, precipitate immense
masses which, being separated by some convulsion of nature iVoio the main
subslances, and being undermined by a long course of time, when rains liave
wasbeil away the .soil which supported them, they roll down with an awful
crash, and sometimes are hurried by their impetus far inlo the plains,
n'he figure seen, in ihe iiunexed Plate, about lo Hre at the bear, is u seapoy
in his undress, lhal is lo say, without his coal and aceonlremenls. The dress of
the native soldiery is light and convenient ; extremely well calculated for a
hot climate, and allows the free use of the limbs. The head dress is certainly
somewhat exceptionable ; it consists of a turban of about eighteen yards in
l e n g t h , and half a yard broad, made of blue linen, wound round on a block,
. s i m i l a r to a barber's, and llrmly cemented togetlier by means of a very stronginfusion
of lint-seed in water. When dry, it is japaned with copal, and shines
c o n s i d e r a b l y . There is Utile or 110 rim to these military turbans ; tlieir form is
n e a r l y Hat, and does not embrace the head sulliciently ; rendering it necessary
to have a baud or tape, from one side to the other, which, passing under the
back of the skull, keeps this ill-contrived, heavy article of dress in its place. In
the front is a triangular piece of wood, of about five inches by ihree, grooved
and painted blue; the sides are niounled with solid silver, and a neat device,
d i s t i n g u i s h i n g tlie regiment, is placed in the centre. This ornament, is called a
coxcomb.
T h e j a cke t s are of Engl ish aurora, and arc neatl y made; the lappel s arc stitched
down, and the skirts ily of f very much, as is certainly proper in so hot a climate.
T h e buttons are cast with the number of the rcginienl. The waistcoat is
of stout calico, while, with a very narrow blue cord round its edges; the
breeches arc a kind of very short drawei-s, reaching not more than mi<l-tliigh,
and vandyked at the bottom wilh blue between two narrow cords of the same
colour. The c«;rt/Her/;rt«i/is made of leather covered with blue clotli, wilh a
cross of white linen in front. This part of the dress, which is purely orienlal,
and was formerly made of a long piece of cloth .similar to the turban, is intended
as a support to the loins; and certainly maybe useful in lhat respect, I doubt,
l i o w e v e r , whether the manner in which they are laced up, added lo their being
in general too substantial and broad, be not productive of bad ellects; and it
may not be improper lo notice, that the casting olì' so warm a vesture, as many
are apt to do in a slate of faligne and impatience, has, in my opinion, oflen
induced bowel complaints, which have perhaps been attributed to less |)roba))!c
T h e legs are left naked, except in some corps, which wear tight pantaloons.
T h e shoes are very thick and heavy, and require no buckles. Throughout the
H o n o u r a b l e Company's service the belts of every description, as wel l as the
pouches, are of black leatljer, which being wel l cleaned, have a neat, and by no
means .so dull an a]jpcarance as would ))e expected, "^llie native ofiicers are
c l o l h e d by the Honourable Company, and their coals are ornamenled with
thread, silk, or gohl and silver lace, in proportion lo their rcspeclive ranks.
I l l
P L A T E X X X .
HUNTING A KUTTAUSS, OR CIVET.
T u b hitlauss is but little known to Europeans, although, under the designation
of the civet, such profuse encomiums are lavished on its alleged perfumes.
T h e fact is, lhat, like many other scents which may be too strong to please,
the hUlaiiss is really oiFensive, and absolutely sickens bolh man and beast. It
has a rank smell, somewhat like musk, and so p owe r ful as to occasion such dogs as
mouth it, to vomit. However, a faintspecimen of it is by no means disagreeable.
T h i s animal is p e rhaps the most obnoxious of all the wild tribes known in
I n d i a . It is seldom, if ever, seen on a plain, except at night; when it leaves
i t s haunt in quest of prey. The kuttauiis is remarkably bold, sparing nothing
w h i c h it can overcome, and frequently killing, as it were, merely for sport.
I t s principal devastations are among sheep and swine, from which it purloins
the young, and commits dreadful havoc among poultry. To the rapacity of the
w o l f it joins the agility of the cal, and the cunning of the fox. Its figure is a
strange compound of ihe fox and pole-cat ; its head being long and sharp with
p r i c k e d cars, its body low and long, and its tail rather long, bul not very bushy.
I t s c laws are concealed at pleasure. The colour of its body is a dirty ash colour,
s o m e w h a t striped wilh a darker shade, and its tail has many rather indistinct
circles, of the same lint.
T h i s obnoxious animal is generally found in short underwood covers, mixed
more or less w\lh long grass, and especially where palmyra, or cocoa trees are
to be seen. Although it is sometimes met with in various detached jungles,
y e l . for the most part, its residence is confined to such as border old tanks, or
jeels. These banks being formed by the excavation, are often very high and
"broad; \\illi liuie ihcy settle and become Hatter, and are generally over-run
w i t h very strong brambles, through which even an elephanl could not make his
w a y , without extreme dilliculty. Of such covcrs the kti/faiiss is a regular inhab
i l a n l ; seldom stirring in the day, during which lime he appears to hide himself
in the most opake recesses.
Such is the caution wi l h which the hit/aiiss acts b y night, lhat his deprcdalions
are ordinarily attributed lo jackals, &c. Being from his size, which is equal to
l h a t of a full grown English fox, able to bear away a sulwtanlial booty, he is
also capable of making a powerful resistance; and being familiar to trees, into
w h i c h he can ascend wilh facility, it is not a very easy thing to overcome him.
His bite is very sharp ; and such is the strength of his jaw, that sometimes
])e is found lo snap the legs of such dogs as incautiously subject tiieir liud)s to
his powers. Like the camel, he has a very uncouth trick of keeping a fast
hold, lliough worried by a dozen of sturdy dogs, all tugging at various parLs.
T h i s we may presinue operates much in his favour when seizing a prey. Jackals
and foxes, and even wolves when close pursued, especially if hit with a slick or
a stone, frccpiently drop what they have seized, and content themselves with
an escape. The knitauss is so very secret in his operations, that, were not the
bones of his viclims found in his haunts, one might almost doubt whetlier he
w e r e carnivorous.
Hounds are wondrously incited by the scent of a huttauss: it seems to
derange them; they defy all controul, and often disregarding the voice of the
hunter, as well as the sickness occasioned by the nauseous stench of the animal,
remain in the cover, barking and baying, until a sharp bite sends them off
h o w l i n g ; after whi c h they shew great aversion from a fresh attack. If a jackal,
o r other hnnted animal cross near the haunt oi a Icullauss, he rarely fails to
make his escape. The dogs all tpiit the chase and surround the sl inking animal.
W h e t h e r they be successful in killing, or not, it matters little ; for their scent
is completely overcome for lhat day, and the hunter may assure himself lhat
unless a ¡ackal may lake lo a plain, and be run in open view, no chance exists
of killing him. Indeed, after having worried a kuttauss, dogs treat all other
game wilh perfect inditferencc.
Hence it is an object wi l h those who hunt with hounds, which, however,
are very scarce, there not being more than four or five packs in all Bengal, to
avoid Ihe banks of tanks, and rather to forego the abundance of game to be
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