Game Animals of India, etc. 



THE HUNTING-LEOPARD 



{Cynalurus jubatus) 



Native Names. — Chita and Laggar^ Hindustani ; 

 Tuz and Tuz-palangj Persian ; Chitra of the 

 GoNDs ; Chita-puli^ Telegu ; Chircha and Sivungi, 

 Canarese. 



(Plate viii, fig. 12) 



Neither of the two popular names in common use 

 for this interesting animal is altogether satisfactory. 

 The Hindustani Chiia^ which, like its Gond equivalent 

 Chitra^ means spotted, is, as mentioned above, applied 

 in many parts of India to the leopard ; and with regard 

 to the name " hunting -leopard," there is the, great 

 objection that the creature is not a leopard, either in 

 structure or in coloration, being in fact the only exist- 

 ing member of the cat tribe that is unquestionably 

 entitled to be classed in a genus apart from all the 

 rest. To some of the older writers the animal was 

 known as the guepard ; and, whatever may be its 

 origin, this name is unobjectionable, but since it has 

 become obsolete, it would be hopeless to attempt its 

 revival. Of the other two names, hunting-leopard 

 seems less liable to lead to confusion.^ 



From all the species — both cats and lynxes — in- 

 cluded in the genus Felis^ the hunting -leopard is 

 distinguished by the circumstance that it is unable to 

 withdraw its claws entirely within the margins of their 

 protecting sheaths, so that the points remain exposed. 

 The body is more slender, and the limbs are pro- 

 portionately longer and slighter than in any of the 

 species of Felis ; the animal being obviously cut out 

 for racing much more decidedly than are any of the 

 latter. There are likewise certain distinctive features 



1 See above under the heading of Leopard. 



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