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THE OUNCE. 



The OUNCE, however, which was once thought to be but a longer haired variety of the 

 Leopard, is now known to be truly a separate species. 



In general appearance it bears a very close resemblance to the leopard, but may be 

 distinguished from that animal by the greater fulness and roughness of its fur, as vrell 

 as by some variations in the markings with which it is decorated. From the thickness 

 of its furry garment, it is supposed to be an inhabitant of more mountainous and 

 colder districts than the leopard. The rosette-like spots which appear on its body are 

 not so sharply defined as those of the leopard ; there is a large black spot behind the ears. 

 The spots exhibit a certain tendency to form stripes, and the tail is exceeding bushy 

 when compared with that of a leopard of equal size. The general color of the body 

 is rather paler than that of the leopard, .being a grayish white, in which a slight yellow 



OUNCE. Leopardus Uacia. 



tinge is perceptible, and, as is usual, with most animals, the upper parts of the body 

 are darker than the lower. The Ounce is an inhabitant of some parts of Asia, and 

 specimens of this fine animal have been brought from the shores of the Persian Gulf. 

 In size, it equals the ordinary leopard of Asia or Africa. 



The feline animals which have hitherto been described belonging to the African and 

 Asiatic continents, with their neighboring islands. Passing to the New World, we 

 find the feline races well represented by several most beautiful and graceful creatures, 

 of which the JAGUAR is the largest and most magnificent example. 



Closely resembling the leopard in external appearance, and in its arboreal habits, it 

 seems to play the same part in America as the leopard in the transatlantic continents. 

 It is a larger animal than the leopard, and may be distinguished from that animal by 

 several characteristic differences. 



