394 THE CARNIVORES 



gal, Assam, and Burma; and the spots on them are as a rule much smaller. Two 

 leopards; the one from China and the other from Persia, described by M. A. Milne- 

 Edwards, were remarkable for the circumstance that the markings on the flanks 

 were more like rings than rosettes, while the tail in each case was shorter than the 

 body alone. 



The differences in the size of individual leopards is so great that while in the 

 smallest examples the total length of the head, body, and tail does not exceed 

 5 feet, in the largest it reaches to as much as 8 feet. In a large male, of which the 

 total length was 7 feet 1 1 inches, the head and body measured 4 feet 9 inches, and 

 the tail 3 feet 2 inches. 



The leopard is one of the three larger cats which are common to India and 

 Africa; the other two being the lion and the hunting-leopard. The distribution of the 

 leopard is, however, more extensive than that of the lion, embracing nearly the 

 whole of Asia, from Persia to Japan, but not extending as far north as Siberia; 

 while the animal is unknown on the high plateau of Tibet, where almost all the 

 Mammals belong to peculiar species not found elsewhere. 



Leopards occur over almost the whole of India, although absent from parts of 

 Sind and the Punjab; and they are abundant in Ceylon, Burma, and the islands of 

 the Malayan region. Westward they extend into Persia, Palestine, Arabia, and 

 Syria, and thence into Africa, where they range from Somaliland and Algeria to 

 the Cape Colony. This is, however, not all, since the evidence of fossil bones 

 found in the caverns and superficial deposits of Western Europe proves that the 

 leopard (or, at all events, a large cat of which the bones and teeth are indistin- 

 guishable from those of a leopard) formerly ranged as far west as Great Britain, 

 France, and Spain. Its distribution is and was considerably more extensive than 

 that of the lion, which, as we have seen, never extended eastward of the Bay of Ben- 

 gal; and it is larger than that of any other member of the Cat family except the lynx. 



Next to the tiger in India and to the lion in Africa, the leopard is the most for- 

 midable Carnivore (exclusive in India of bears) to be found in either country. In 

 its habits it differs essentially from both the lion and the tiger in that it is thor- 

 oughly at home in trees, running up a straight-stemmed and smooth-barked trunk 

 with the speed and agility of a monkey. Moreover, the leopard is a much more 

 active animal than the tiger, frequently taking tremendous leaps and springs. Mr. 

 Sanderson is of opinion that the Indian leopard, although its powers of offense 

 are far inferior to those of the tiger, is in some respects a more dangerous animal, 

 as it is roused with less provocation, and is more courageous in attacking those who 

 disturb its repose. The favorite resorts of the Indian leopard are rocky hills cov- 

 ered with scrub, among which it seeks secure hiding in caves and under overhanging 

 masses of rock. From strongholds such as these, writes Mr. Sanderson, the 

 leopards in Southern and Central India ' ' watch the surrounding country towards 

 sunset, and descend with astonishing celerity and stealth, under cover of the rocks, 

 to cut off any straggling animal among the herds or flocks on their return to the 

 village at nightfall. From their habit of lurking in the vicinity of the habitations 

 of man, to prey upon cattle, ponies, donkeys, sheep, goats, and dogs, leopards* are 



* In this extract we omit Mr. Sanderson's use of the word panther whenever he refers to the leopard. 



