OUNCE.—Leopardus Uncia. 
OuncE, however, which was once thought to be but a longer haired variety of the Leopard, 
is now known to be truly a separate species. 
In general appearance it bears a very close resemblance to the leopard, but may be 
distinguished from that animal by the greater fulness and roughness of its fur, as well as 
by some variations in the markings with which it is decorated. From the thickness of 
its furry garment, it is supposed to be an inhabitant of more mountainous and colder 
districts than the leopard. The rosette-lhke spots which appear on its body are not so 
sharply defined as those of the leopard; there is a large black spot behind the ears. The 
spots exhibit a certain tendency to form stripes, and the tail is exceedingly bushy when 
compared with that of a leopard of equal size. The general colour of the body is rather 
paler than that of the leopard, being a greyish w hite, in which a slight yellow tinge is 
perceptible, and, as is usual with most animals, the upper parts of the body are darker 
than the lower. The Ounce isan inhabitant of some parts of Asia, and specimens of this 
fine animal have been brought from the shores of the Persian Gulf. In size, it equals the 
ordinary leopard of Asia or Africa. 
The feline animals which have hitherto been described belong to the African and 
Asiatie continents, with their neighbouring islands. Passing to the New World, we find 
the feline races well represented by several most beautiful and graceful creatures, of which 
the JAGUAR is the largest and most magnificent example. 
Closely resembling the leopard in external appearance, and in its arboreal habits, it 
seems to play the same part in America as the leopard in the transatlantic continents. It 
is a larger animal than the leopard, and may be distinguished from that animal by several 
characteristic differences. 
