426 CAT TRIBE 



description. The species, inclusive of a number of more or less marked 

 local varieties or races, has an extensive range in Asia, and, except 

 where it has been exterminated by human agency, inhabits all parts 

 of Africa suitable to its existence. The typical representative of the 

 species is the Indian leopard ; and consequently all the African races, 

 which are by no means yet properly determined, require separate 

 subspecific names. 



In the volume of the Fauna of British India devoted to mammals 

 it was stated by Dr. W. T. Blanford that most African leopard-skins 

 can be distinguished at a glance from Indian skins by their very much 

 smaller spots. Although this statement may be literally true, it must not 

 be taken to imply that all African leopards are small-spotted. On 

 the contrary, large -spotted leopards, approximating more or less 

 closely to Asiatic types, are to be met with over a considerable portion 

 of northern and eastern Africa. The most western of these large- 

 spotted races appears to be the Atlas leopard of Morocco and the 

 neighbouring countries, which is the largest representative of the 

 species. Although specimens are lacking in the British Museum, there 

 is a figure of a Morocco leopard on p. 234 of J. Greenwood's Wild 

 Sports of the World, the authenticity of which it would be rash to 

 deny. It represents a powerfully built animal with large spots, and as 

 much white on the under surface as is usually seen in leopards. In 

 Dr. E. Trouessart's Catalogus Mammalium the Atlas leopard is 

 called Felts pardus antiquorum. Of the type specimen of that race 

 there is in Griffith's Animal Kingdom (1827) a good description and 

 figure. The author of that description, Colonel Hamilton Smith, 

 pointed out that this leopard differed from all others known to him in 

 having the under-parts, not white, but buff-yellow, and only a shade 

 lighter than the sides of the body. This, as mentioned by Mr. R. I. 

 Pocock in the Field of December 1 4, 1 907, is a feature in which this 

 leopard resembles lions, and differs not only from others of its species, 

 but also from jaguars and tigers. There seems, however, to be no evi- 

 dence that the animal in question came from Morocco or the adjacent 

 countries. On the contrary, its describer expressly stated that it was 

 a stuffed menagerie-specimen of which the locality was unknown. It 

 thus seems that while the leopard of the Atlas has no scientific name, 

 a claimant is wanted for the title of Felis pardus antiquorum. 



Next on the list comes the leopard of the Red Sea littoral, 

 conveniently known as the Erythrean race (F. p. m'mr), which is stated 

 to be a greyish animal, approximating in colour, and perhaps in 

 markings, to the Caucasian and Persian leopard. 



