78 LLOYD'S NATURAL HISTORY. 



spotted cubs in one and the same litter clearly shows that 

 they are merely a variety. In certain lights the spots on the 

 skin of a black Leopard can be distinctly seen, owing to the 

 fact that they are of a deeper tinge than the rest of the fur. 

 A white Asiatic Leopard seems to be a very rare creature, 

 although a figure of such an animal is extant. ' 



Secondly, we have the long-haired Asiatic Leopard, of which 

 the leading features have already been indicated ; this variety 

 being found not only in Persia, but likewise in the neighbour- 

 ing district of Baluchistan, and in the mountains of Sind. 



Thirdly, there is the African Leopard, readily distinguished 

 by the small size of the body-spots, some of which are often 

 solid, and thus resemble those on the head and limbs of its 

 Asiatic cousin. Curiously enough, it was thought for a long 

 period that there were no black Leopards throughout the 

 length and breadth of Africa. That there are none entirely 

 black seems to be undoubtedly the case ; but Dr. Giinther 

 has described Leopard-skins from the Albany district, which 

 exhibit a kind of incipient blackness, or melanism. In one 

 of these specimens the blackness takes the form of a broad 

 black stripe, extending from the upper part of the head to 

 the loins ; while the tail has an extraordinary number of very 

 small black spots and a black tip. It does not appear that any 

 trace of the spots can be detected in the deep black band 

 on the back. In a second example the blackness was of 

 much larger extent, embracing almost the whole of the skin, 

 with the exception of the under parts of the head and body 

 and the inner surfaces of the limbs. The tail, although not 

 black, is uniformly dark-coloured above. The black portion 

 of the skin presents a beautiful gloss, without the faintest in- 

 dication of spots. 



Writing of the specimen first received, Dr Giinther observes 

 that " it is a well-known fact that the Asiatic Leopard ex- 



