Hi, All!   
      
   In "The Jungle Book", by Rudyard Kipling I read:   
      
   -----Beginning of the citation-----   
   A black shadow dropped down into the circle. It was Bagheera the Black   
   Panther, inky black all over, but with the panther markings showing up   
   in certain lights like the pattern of watered silk. Everybody knew   
   Bagheera, and nobody cared to cross his path; for he was as cunning as   
   Tabaqui, as bold as the wild buffalo, and as reckless as the wounded   
   elephant. But he had a voice as soft as wild honey dripping from a tree,   
   and a skin softer than down.   
   ----- The end of the citation -----   
      
   Is Bagheera a male animal, or it can be a female one? I know that in English   
   many animals are generally spoken of with "he" as their pronoun.   
      
   Bye, all!   
      
   --- Paul's Win98SE VirtualBox   
    * Origin: Quinn's Post - Maryborough, Queensland, OZ (3:640/384)