The Leopard 



n-^mts pardalis 3.nd pafilhera, respectively Anglicised into 

 pard and panther. At the same date the animal now 

 known as the hunting-leopard was designated kopardus, 

 or leopard, from the idea that it was a hybrid between 

 the lion and the pard. As time went on, the name 

 " pard " fell into disuse, and the term leopard became 

 transferred from the animal to which it originally 

 belonged to one of the varieties of Felis pardus ; panther 

 being retained for another phase of the same animal, 

 on the supposition that there were two kinds of these 

 spotted cats. 



This transference of the name leopard to Felis 

 pardus left the animal to which it originally pertained 

 without a popular title of any kind ; and the Hindu- 

 stani name chita (meaning spotted or speckled) was 

 consequently made to do duty for the latter. Such a 

 restriction seems, however, unjustifiable, for although 

 by the natives of Central and Upper India the latter title 

 is applied indifferently to Felis pardus and Cyncelurus 

 jubatus^ on most occasions on which it is employed the 

 former animal will be the one designated. Sometimes 

 if a native wishes to particularise the exact kind of chita 

 to which he may be referring, he will distinguish Felis 

 pardus either as sona-chita (golden chita) or chitabagh 

 (spotted tiger), but on ordinary occasions chita suffices. 

 One way out of the difficulty is to avoid the use of 

 the name chita altogether, and to call Cyn^elurus jubatus 

 the hunting-leopard, and to restrict the term leopard to 

 Felis pardus. Another element of confusion arises 

 from the tact that Indian sportsmen are convinced of 

 the existence of two species of large spotted cats, in 

 addition to the hunting-leopard, which they respectively 

 call leopard and panther. It is, however, certain that 

 these animals are at most only varieties of a single 

 species, of which they may indicate a larger and a 

 smaller race ; and it is accordingly proper to use only a 

 single English name for this species, although the 

 existence of two Indian races, if proved true, may be 



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