THE PANTHER. 203 



thicker ; the hide thus obtains a black-blue lustre ; the ground is dark 

 loam-yellow, so thickly set with dotted spots as to appear almost black. 



The Black Panther, Felis mclas, which has been sometimes described 

 as a separate species, seems to be merely a variety of the Sunda panther, 

 and is often produced in the same litter as the lighter varieties. 



The strength of the panther is marvelous when compared with its 

 size. One of these animals crept by night into the very midst of a cara- 

 van, seized two wolf-greyhounds that were fastened to one of the tent 

 pegs, tore up the peg to which they were tethered, and although both 

 the dogs were linked together, and were of that powerful breed which is 

 used for the pursuit of wolves and other fierce game, the panther dragged 

 them clean out of the camp, and carried them for some three hundred 

 yards through dense, thorny underwood. 



The panther has a distaste for trees around which there is no under- 

 wood ; the long grass jungle, which is so favored by the tiger, is in no 

 way suited to the habits of the panther ; so that if the hunter seeks for 

 tigers, his best chance of success is by directing his steps to the grass 

 jungles, while, if panthers are the objects of his expedition, he is nearly 

 sure to find them among wooded places where the trees are planted 

 among underwood reaching some seven or eight feet in height. 



When a panther is driven to take refuge in a tree, it displays great 

 skill in selecting a spot where it shall be concealed so far as possible 

 from the gazers below, and even when detected, covers its body so 

 well behind the branches, that it is no easy matter to obtain a clear 

 iim at a fatal spot. Its favorite arboreal resting-places are at the junc- 

 tion of the larger limbs with the trunk, or where a large bough gives off 

 several smaller branches. The panther does not take to water so readily 

 as the tiger, and appears to avoid entering a stream unless pressed by 

 hunger or driven into the water by his pursuers. When fairly in the 

 water, however, the panther is a very tolerable swimmer, and can cross 

 even a wide river without difficulty. 



The panther has often been tamed, and, indeed, almost domesticated, 

 being permitted to range the house at will, greatly to the consternation 

 of strange visitors. 



The Ounce, Felis nncia (Plate VIII), 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. 



