CYNJELUJ1US. 91 



but there is some question as to whether this is more than an acci- 

 dental variety. Other nominal species will he found recorded in 

 books. 



44. Cynaelurus jubatus. The hunting Leopard. 



Felis jubata, Schrcber, Sdugeth. iii, p. 392, pi. cv (1778) ; Jerdon, 



Mam. p. 114 ; Bull, P. A. S. B. 1877, p. 109. 

 Felis guttata, Hermann, Obs. Zool. p. 38 (1804). 

 Cynailurus jubatus, Blyth, Cat. p. 65; Elliot, Mon. Pel. pi. xliii. 



Chita, Laygar, H. ; Ykts and Yuz-palang, Pers. ; Chitra, Gond ; Chita 

 puli, Tel.; Chircha and Sivunyi, Canarese; Cheeta of many European 

 naturalists. 



As long as the common leopard or panther, but much higher 

 and more slender. Pupil round. Ears short and round. Eur 

 coarse, hairs of neck somewhat lengthened, bair of belly rather 

 long and shaggy. Tail more than half the length of the head and 

 body. 



Skull much resembling that of F. uncia in shape, high and broad, 

 very convex above and wide behind the postorbital processes. The 

 facial portion short and broad, nasals broad, maxillaries short and 

 high. Orbits incomplete behind. Opening of posterior nares 

 broad. Anterior upper premolar generally present. 



Colour from tawny (pale brownish yellow) to bright rufous 

 fawn above and on the sides, paler below, spotted almost every- 

 where with small round black spots without any pale centres, and 

 not arranged in rosettes. Chin and throat bufty white, unspotted. 

 A black line from the anterior corner of each eye to the upper lip, 

 aud another less marked, or a row of spots in some specimens, 

 from the hinder corner of the eye to below the ear. Ear black 

 outside, base and margins tawny. Tail spotted above ; the spots, 

 towards the end, passing into imperfect rings. 



Young covered with long hair, grey in colour, without any 

 spots. Sterndale states, however, that on clipping the hair the 

 spots are found on the underfur. A young animal in the British 

 Museum is figured by Elliot, and is brownish grey on the back, 

 chocolate-brown on the legs and lower parts, with indications of 

 darker spots. This is, doubtless, in process of change into the 

 colour of the adult. 



Dimensions. Length of head and body about 4-5 feet, tail 2-5, 

 height 2-5 to 2*75 (Jerdon). A skull is 5'35 inches long in basal 

 length, and 4-55 across the zygomatic arches. 



Distribution. The hunting leopard is found throughout Africa 

 and South-western Asia, extending from Persia to the countries 

 east of the Caspian and into India. In this country it occurs 

 throughout a great portion of the peninsula, from the Punjab 

 through Rajputana and Central India to the confines of Bengal (I 

 once saw a skin that had been brought in by a local shikari at 

 Deoghar, in theSonthal Pergunnahs, south of Bhagalpur,and Ball 

 saw another, under similar circumstances, at Sambalpur), and in 



