HISTORY OF THE JAGUAR 107 



cases the environment seems to influence the color 

 of the pelage, and those found in the more open 

 country show a ground color of a decidedly 

 lighter shade, while those found in the thick, 

 gloomy forests are much darker. 



In Africa the leopards found in the hills are 

 invariably larger than those found in the low- 

 lands, and are still considered by some to be a 

 different species. The larger ones are referred 

 to as the panther, but they are in reality all leop- 

 ards. As with the jaguar, in some sections both 

 the size and color and even the habits differ to 

 such an extent that many mistake them for a 

 separate species. The ocelot, that sleek, crafty 

 little fellow, occupying very much the same 

 range as the jaguar, is the only fells that might 

 at a hasty glance be mistaken for a small jaguar; 

 but even to the inexperienced the difference is so 

 marked that they are not likely to be confounded. 

 The black markings of the ocelot are elongated 

 and running horizontally along the body, some- 

 times extending several inches unbroken, while 

 the ground color is usually a grayish white, and 

 they seldom exceed three feet in length. 



In some sections the jaguar is to a great extent 

 arboreal in habit, passing hither and thither along 

 the matted roof of the jungle, where the trees 



