THE LEOPARD AND THE CHEETAH 237 



ticular specimen or locality. Reference to his specimens 

 now in the Berlin Museum shows none marked as the type, 

 so that an exact idea of what he had in mind cannot now be 

 ascertained. He mentions obtaining specimens at Tanga, 

 Lake Manyara, Nai, and Usandawe, German East Africa, 

 and also Uganda. Neumann labored under the supposition 

 that two species occurred throughout East Africa, a large- 

 spotted and a small-spotted form, the former of which he 

 attempted to describe as suahelica. No substantial differ- 

 ence in the size of the spots in adults from the region can be 

 detected. There is, however, a marked difference in spot- 

 ting in the immature and the adults, the former being fine- 

 spotted, owing to the rosettes being broken up into several 

 solid spots which later coalesce to form the rosettes of the 

 adult. Neumann's skins were chiefly flat specimens ob- 

 tained from natives and were without skulls, so that their 

 relative ages were unknown, and the error of associating the 

 difference in size of spots with racial rather than age char- 

 acters was doubtless made. Old males often show the 

 larger and more completely ocellated spots. 



The characters of the East African race are the small 

 size and great number of the black spots, which are rosette- 

 like in formation, being made up of three or four coalesced 

 spots into a circular form. The ring, however, is seldom 

 complete or ocellated in character, but the light central 

 portion or eye is usually distinctly darker m shade than 

 the general ground-color. The general dorsal ground-color 

 is usually light, ochraceous, or olive-buff in shade, paling 

 below to pure white on under-parts and the inside of the 

 legs. The body is of medium size, with a relatively broad 

 head or skull, and small cheek teeth. 



The East African leopard occurs almost everywhere 

 throughout its range except in the low, waterless desert 

 tracts between the Sabaki and Tana Rivers and in the Galla 

 or Abyssinian desert, north of the latter river. It occurs 

 everywhere in the desert in the close proximity of springs, 

 being absent only where water is absolutely wanting. 

 Specimens have been examined in the National Museum 

 from the Kapiti and Athi Plains, Naivasha, Loita Plains, 

 Kisi Province, Uasin Gishu Plateau, Nakuru, and Voi, 

 British East Africa. The leopard ranges to a high alti- 



