THE LEOPARD AND THE CHEETAH 247 



diameter, and are interspersed with numerous smaller black 

 spots, causing the black color to predominate over the 

 ground-color. The spots on the sides of the body are larger 

 but less numerous and cover a smaller area than the 

 ground-color. The legs and under-parts are marked by 

 oblong black spots. The feet are marked by irregular black 

 spots, the forefeet more numerously than the hind, and the 

 bases of the toes also show spots on their dorsal surfaces; 

 but the hair on the under side is dusky-brown. The tail is 

 marked by large black spots above and black rings below, 

 with the terminal portion ringed all around with broad 

 black and narrow pale buffy rings, the tip whitish. The 

 crown of the head and the nape are marked by small black 

 spots as far as the interorbital region. The whole snout 

 from the eyes is uniform ochraceous and banded on the 

 sides by a heavy black tear band from the eyes to the 

 mouth. The sides of the head from the eye to the base of 

 the ear are marked irregularly by small black spots, with- 

 out, however, any suggestion of a line from the eye to the 

 ear. The chin and upper throat are whitish or cream-buff 

 in color. The backs of the ears are chiefly black, only the 

 tips and the inner sides being buffy. The hair of the nape is 

 long, forming a mane from the head to behind the shoulders. 

 The hair on the median line of the breast and belly is long 

 and mane-like in character. The ventral surface of the tail 

 is marked along its whole length by a broad mane or ruff 

 of longer hair, which at the tips becomes somewhat bushy 

 in character. 



The flesh measurements of the typical male which has 

 been used as the type specimen were: head and body, 51 

 inches; tail, 29 inches; hind foot, ii>^ inches; ear, ^yi 

 inches. The flesh measurements of adult female specimens 

 fall very slightly below these dimensions. The skulls of 

 adult males range in length from 7 to 7^ inches, those of 

 females from 6}i to 7 inches. The skull dimensions ex- 

 ceed considerably those from any other part of Africa, which 

 would indicate a relatively larger body size than in other 

 races. 



A series of specimens have been examined at the National 

 Museum from the Loita Plains, the Laikipia Plateau north 

 of Mount Kenia, and the Uasin Gishu Plateau. The range 



