22 COMMON BRITISH ANIMALS 



before danger is realised. He is beautiful in form, 

 perhaps more beautiful than the lion, but his coun- 

 tenance has not that noble defiance so characteristic 

 of the lion. It is easier to see our friend the cat in 

 the tieer than it is in the lion. 



o 



Leopard. 



The leopard is a smaller animal than the tiger, 

 whose skin is yellow with round black spots. Lying 

 on a branch of a tree, the spots on the leopard's 

 back so exactly resemble the shadows of the leaves 

 on which the sunlight is playing that even the 

 experienced hunter is deceived. The leopard or 

 panther, like the lion, inhabits Asia and Africa. 

 Some writers restrict the name panther to the 

 African species, while Sir Samuel Baker calls all 

 large leopards panthers. They are expert climbers 

 like the cat, but have round pupils to their eyes. 

 Black leopards are not uncommon, and specimens of 

 this variety have been in captivity in the Zoological 

 Gardens. 



The snow-leopard or ounce is a beautiful animal, 

 which lives in the highlands of Tibet. Specimens, 

 though rare, were recently on view in the Zoological 

 Gardens. 



The jaguar and puma are the big cats of the New 

 World. The former is tan-coloured, marked with 

 black rings ; the latter is unmarked and is greyish- 

 brown. The jaguar or American tiger feeds on 

 turtles, surprising them on the sand, and even pur- 



