OTHER CARNIVORA 



THE leopard, cheetah, and serval come 

 under this heading ; and although they 

 are to be met with, and are found in 

 fair numbers all through the country, 

 they are so very rarely seen, only now and again, 

 and that generally by good luck, that it is hard to 

 say much about animals that are so well known 

 to many sportsmen in other parts of the world 

 as well as East Africa. 



The cheetah can be told at a glance from a 

 leopard by his build, which compares to a leopard's 

 as a greyhound's to a cat's. They are almost the 

 same size as one another, however. When the 

 skin is lying before one the distinction is easier 

 still, as the former, again, is covered with smallish 

 black spots, whilst the latter has black irregular 

 rings instead. To continue, the cheetah's claws 

 are non-retractile like a dog's, and the leopard's 

 disappear at will like a cat's. No mistake ought 

 ever to be made in this latter difference. 



A serval is a smaller edition of a leopard, but 



very high on the legs and short-tailed, and is 



a true cat ; only short streaks take the place of 



the leopard's spots, and seem to follow one 



g 97 



