448 THE CARNIVORES 



and hyaenas. * While, therefore, the hunting-leopard is a more generalized animal 

 than the true cats in regard to its feet, the characteristics of its upper flesh-tooth 

 indicate greater specialization, this inner lobe occurring in all the more primitive 

 types of Carnivores. 



The hunting-leopard is distinguished by the slenderness of its body, and the 

 great relative length of its limbs, which are longer than in any of the true cats, not 

 even excepting the lynxes. In length of body it may be compared with the true 

 leopard, although it stands much higher on the legs. The pupil of the eye is round, 

 the ears are small and rounded, and the fur is rather coarse, and more or less 

 lengthened on the neck and the under parts of the body. The tail is relatively 

 long, being equal to more than half the length of the head and body. The skull is 

 characterized by the extreme elevation of the crown, as well as by the shortness of 

 its facial portion ; in both of which respects it resembles that of the snow-leopard. 

 The first of the three upper premolar teeth is unusually small. 



In color the fur of the hunting-leopard varies from tawny to a bright rufous- 

 fawn tint, becoming paler on the under parts. On this ground color black spots 

 are distributed over almost the whole of the animal, with the exception of the 

 buff -colored chin and throat ; these spots being round, without any light-colored 

 centres, and not arranged either in rosettes or in lines. The head is marked by 

 one black stripe running from the front corner of the eye to the upper lip, and 

 sometimes by another from the hinder part of the eye to the ear. The ears are 

 black on the outer surface, but tawny on the margins and at the base. On the tail 

 the spots are confined to the upper surface, but toward the tip they tend to form 

 incomplete rings. Such is the coloration of the adult of this animal. In the 

 young cubs, however, the fur is very long especially on the back and of a uni- 

 form gray tint, without any trace of spots ; but it is stated, that if a cub in this 

 state be clipped, the under fur will exhibit distinct spotting. According to 

 measurements given by Jerdon, an adult hunting-leopard has a total length of 

 about seven feet, of which two and one-half feet are occupied by the tail ; the 

 height at the shoulder varies from two and one-half to two and three-fourths feet. 



This animal is one of the few members of the family common to all Africa and 

 India ; its range extending from Africa through Syria, Mesopotamia, and Persia. 

 It is not found in Bengal, nor on the Malabar coast, nor to the northward of the 

 Ganges. It is also said to be unknown in Ceylon ; and, like all the cats common to 

 Africa and India, with the exception of the leopard, does not occur to the east of 

 the Bay of Bengal. Some years ago Mr. Sclater described a hunting-leopard from 

 South Africa which differed from the ordinary form by its stouter build, thicker 

 tail, and more dense and woolly fur, the longest hairs occurring on the neck, ears, 

 and tail. The spots were also much paler, and the lines between the eyes and the 

 mouth absent. This "woolly hunting-leopord" was regarded by its describer as a 

 distinct species (C. lanius), but several later writers have been indisposed to admit 

 it to this rank. 



We have but little information as to the distribution of the hunting-leopard in 

 Africa. The Hon. W. H. Drummond states, on the authority of the natives, that' 



* This lobe is shown in the figure of the upper flesh-tooth of a hysena on p. 356. 



