PANTHER. 349 



gative. In the twelfth edition of the Systema 

 Naturae the Panther and Leopard seem to be con- 

 founded by Linnaeus himself, who appears to have 

 considered them as the same species, under the 

 name of Pardus; while, at the same time, his 

 specific character, as the Count de Buffon ob- 

 serves, is such as to agree properly with no animal 

 of the whole genus, viz. F. cauda dongata, corpore 

 maculis superioribus orbiculatis, inferioribus virga- 

 tis. It may be contended, perhaps, that Lin- 

 naeus meant by this expression to characterize the 

 obscurely subtransverse streaks on the breast of 

 the animal ; but it must be acknowledged that even 

 then his descriptive character, though continued 

 in the Gmelinian edition of the work, is by no 

 means sufficiently expressive; and, like many 

 others, seems to require alteration and improve- 

 ment. It may, perhaps, have happened that the 

 spots on the under part of the sides, in some 

 specimens, may have appeared somewhat conflu- 

 ent, so as to produce the appearance of an indis- 

 tinct kind of streaks; and something approaching 

 to this may be observed in the figure of Buftbn, 

 which, on account of its general excellence, is 

 represented in the present work. It is remark- 

 able that the specific character of the Panther, 

 as given by Brisson, turns upon the same circum- 

 stance. 



Thus much may be observed of short specific 

 characters in general; that, though highly useful, 

 they are not always to be depended upon, and are 

 only 'to be received with a proper degree of allow- 



