THE LEOPARD. 79 



hibits a decided tendency to melanism ; and it is stated that 

 the black Leopards are found chiefly in forest-districts of 

 considerable elevation. So far, the conditions under which 

 melanism appears in the Asiatic Leopard seem to be similar 

 to those under which our specimen was reared. On the other 

 hand, the abnormal coloration affects the ornamental pattern 

 of the Asiatic Leopard in a different fashion from that ob- 

 servable in our specimen. In the former the black colour 

 is equally diffused over the whole body, the rosettes retaining 

 their shape and number, and shining with a more intense 

 black through the ground-colour." It is added that the black- 

 ness of these African Leopards may perhaps be considered as 

 an incipient stage of the total melanism of the Asiatic form. We 

 have, however, yet much to learn as to the nature of melanism, 

 and of what advantage (if any) it can be to the individuals in 

 which it is developed. 



Since the former of these specimens (which will be found 

 described and figured in the " Proceedings of the Zoological 

 Society" for 1883, p. 244, pi. xvi.) is so entirely unlike an or- 

 dinary Leopard that it might well be taken for a distinct species, 

 or a hybrid, it may be well to quote the original description 

 in extenso. The ground-colour of the fur, writes its describer, 

 " is tawny, with a rich orange gloss about the shoulders. Of 

 the rosettes only a few faint indications are preserved, namely 

 on the haunches, where two are visible on the right side, 

 whilst they form an irregular confluent pattern on the left. 

 Remains of rosettes are also visible on each shoulder, close to 

 the whorls of hairs usually developed in the Leopard and Lion 

 in this place. Two pairs of similar rudimentary rosettes suc- 

 ceed these at intervals of about ten inches. The remainder 

 of the rosettes are broken up into, or replaced by, innumer- 

 able small separate spots, which are most distinct on and be- 

 hind the region of the shoulder, and on the outer sides of 



