THE STORY OF THE LEOPARD. 



307 



animal (in common with the hunting-leopard) is known to the natives of 

 India as the chita, meaning spotted; the leopard, on account of its larger 

 size, being often distinguished as the chita-bagh, or spotted tiger. I have 

 m.ade a careful study of the two animals, and have concluded that they are 

 of the same species. They are as close kin as are the Jersey and Shorthorn 

 or Durham cows. 



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



A PERSIAN LEOPARD AND ITS HABITS. 



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

 exceed five feet, in the largest it reaches to as much as eight feet. In a large 

 male, of which the total length was seven feet eleven inches, the head and 

 body measured four feet nine inches, and the tail three feet two 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. 



