482 THE FELID^ OF THE OLD WOKLD 



and dragging its lacerating tormentors along with it, succeeds 

 in regaining the friendly sea. Nor do the dogs always enj(>y 

 an undisturbed repast, often during the night, the Mord of tljc 

 wilderness,' the royal tiger, bursts out of the forest, pauses for a 

 moment, casts a glance over the strand, approaches slowly, and 

 then with one bound, accompanied by a terrific roar, springs 

 among the dogs, scattering the howling band like chaff before 

 the wind. And now it is the tiger's turn to feast ; but even he, 

 though rarely, is sometimes disturbed by man. Thus on tliis 

 lonely, melancholy coast, wild dogs and tigers wage an unequal 

 war with the inhabitants of the ocean." * 



After the tiger and the lion, the Panther and the Leopard are 

 the mightiest felidse of the Old World. Although differently 

 spotted, the ocelli or rounded marks on the panther being 

 larger and more distinctly formed, they are probably only 

 varieties of one and the same species, as many intermediate 

 individuals have been observed. 



Both animals are widely diffused through the tropical regions 

 of the Old World, being natives of Africa, Persia, China, India, 

 and many of the Indian islands; so that they have a much 

 more extensive range than either the tiger or the lion. The 

 manner in which they seize their prey, lurking near the sides 

 of woods, and darting forward with a sudden spring, resembles 

 that of the tiger, and the chase of the panther is said to be 

 more dangerous than that of the lion, as it easily climbs the 

 trees and pursues its enemy upon the branches. 



According to Sir J. E. Tennent, the panthers or leopards 

 of Ceylon are strongly attracted by the peculiar odour which 

 accompanies small-pox. The reluctance of the natives to ex- 

 pose themselves or their children to vaccination exposes the 

 island to frightful visitations of this disease ; and in the villages 

 in the interior it is usual on such occasions to erect huts in the 

 jungle to serve as temporary hospitals. Towards these the 

 leopards are certain to be allured ; and the medical officers are 

 obliged to resort to increased precautions in consequence. 



The Cheetah, or hunting leopard (Gueparda juhata, guttata), 

 which inhabits the greater part both of Asia and Africa, exhibits 

 in its form and habits a mixture of the feline and canine tribes. 



* Tlie Sea and its Living "Womlers, p. 154. 



