310 



THE STORY OF THE LEOPARD. 



living in a practically treeless country, it is probable that it is unable to 

 climb. It preys chiefly upon wild sheep, and goats, and marmots, and other 

 rodents; it wages war upon domestic sheep and goats when grazing upon 

 the higher grounds; and it will likewise, it is said, occasionally attack 

 ponies. It is reported never to molest man. 



The hunting-leopard is another representative of the cat family, and dif- 

 fers so markedly in certain respects from all the others that it is now gen- 



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A YOUNG HUNTING I,EOPARD. 



erally admitted to rank as a distinct breed. It is generally known to Euro- 

 peans as the' chita. 



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

 the great relative strength 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 com- 

 pared with the true leopard, although it stands much higher on the legs. 



