LEOPARD, PANTHER, AND CHEETAH. 



211 



portions of the Old World ; being natives of Africa, India, and 

 the Indian islands, as Ceylon, Sumatra, &c. They are very 

 graceful and active animals ; possessing bodies of great flexibility; 

 and being able to bound, swim, climb trees, or crawl like a snake 

 upon the ground, with nearly equal facility. They generally 

 take refuge in trees when pursued ; and occasionally spring upon 

 their prey from its branches. The Monkeys and other small 

 arboreal animals, as well as the terrestrial quadrupeds, fall a 

 prey to them. Several other species of Felines inhabit the East; 

 but of these we shall only mention the Cheetah or Hunting 

 Leopard (Felis jubata) ; which departs, in many particulars, from 



FIG. 102 HUNTING LEOPARD. 



the general characters of the family. The foot, instead of being 

 rounded, is long and narrow ; its claws are but slightly retractile ; 

 and the body and limbs are longer and narrower than in the 

 Leopard, with which it corresponds in size. This animal is a 

 native of Africa and India ; and in the latter country it has been 

 long employed in hunting Deer, Antelopes, &c. In captivity, 



p 2 



