240 AFRICAN GAME ANIMALS 



the spots to become completely ringed or ocellated. Quite 

 a number of such occur scattered over the dorsal surface 

 among the more numerous rosetted spots. The West 

 African race of the leopard, leopardus, differs by having 

 actually as well as relatively larger cheek teeth, more 

 numerous spots, and smaller body size. The leopard of 

 upper Egypt, which should stand as the typical race, instead 

 of the Indian, according to Oldfield Thomas, is a smaller- 

 spotted race than chui^ with a bright ochraceous-tawny dor- 

 sal ground-color. The type specimen was caught at Gon- 

 dokoro by Heller, who also secured another at Rhino Camp, 

 on the west bank of the Nile. The dorsal body color is 

 ochraceous, paling on the sides to buffy and on the belly 

 and the under-parts of the legs to pure white. The spots are 

 black-rosetted, the centre being usually darker-ochraceous 

 than the ground-color and the margin in some forming a 

 complete ring without any breaks, being distinctly ocellated 

 in character. The spots on the under side of the body and 

 on the legs are generally solid black without lighter central 

 portion. The spots on the head and the sides of the face 

 are broken up into numerous small blotches. The tail is 

 marked basally with rosetted spots which become length- 

 ened into solid streaks on the middle portion and terminally 

 have a ringed appearance with much white from the under 

 side showing on the sides and nearly separating the black 

 rings of the extreme tip. 



The measurements of the type in the flesh were: head 

 and body, 49 inches; tail, 33 inches; hind foot, 10 inches; 

 ear, 3>^ inches; skull, greatest length, 9tV inches; breadth, 

 ^14, inches. The Rhino Camp specimen exceeds the type 

 somewhat in size, which would indicate a really large 

 average size for the race. Rowland Ward records an ex- 

 ceptionally large leopard skull taken in the White Nile 

 region by the game warden of the Soudan, A. L. Butler, 

 measuring io>^ inches, which doubtless represents this 

 race. Judging by the dimensions of this skull, the Nile 

 leopard is an animal quite equal in size to fortisy the high- 

 land leopard of British East Africa. 



