MAMMALIA—PANTHER. 189 
4¢ must be observed, that it is very doubtful whether the panther has ever 
yet been truly represented in any drawing. Temminck is of opinion that all 
the nominal representations of panthers are really those of leopards. 
Major Denham, in his travels in Africa, furnishes us with the following 
description: ‘‘During the latter part of the night, while riding on in front 
with Maramy, the sheikh’s negro, who had accompanied me from Kouka, 
and who appeared to attach himself more closely to me as we approached 
danger, we had started several animals of the leopard species, who ran from 
us so swiftly, twisting their long tails in the air, as to prevent our getting 
near them. We, however, now started one of a larger kind, which Maramy 
assured me was so satiated with the blood of a negro, whose carcass we 
found lying in the wood, that he would be easily killed. I rode up to the 
spot just as a Shouaa had planted the first spear in him, which passed 
through the neck, a little above the shoulder, and came down between the 
animal’s legs; he rolled over, broke the spear, and bounded off with the 
lower half in his body. Another Shouaa galloped up within two arms’ 
length, and thrust a second spear through his loins; and the savage animal, 
with a woful howl, was in the act of springing on his pursuer, when an 
Arab shot him through the head with a ball, which killed him on the spot. 
“Tt was a male panther, (zazerma,) of a very large size, and measured, 
from the point of the tail to the nose, eight feet two inches; the skin was 
yellow, and beautifully marked with orbicular spots on the upper part of 
the body, while underneath, and at the throat, the spots were oblong and 
irregular, intermixed with white. These animals are found in great num- 
bers in the woods bordering on Mandara ; there are also leopards, the skins 
of which I saw, but not in great numbers. The panthers are as insidious 
as they are cruel; they will not attack any thing that is likely to make 
resistance, but have been known to watch a child for hours, while near the 
proteetion of huts or people. It will often spring on a grown person, male 
or female, while carrying a burthen, but always from behind : the flesh of a 
child or of a young ‘id it will sometimes devour; but when any full grown 
animal falls a prey t. its ferocity, it sucks the blood alone.” 
The following narrative of an encounter with a pamther, which is copied 
from the Library of Entertaining Knowledge, will abundantly prove the 
formidable nature of the panther, even when the animal is not of its 
largest size. 
“T was at Jaffna, at the northern extremity of the island of Ceylon, in tne 
beginning of the year 1819,” says the writer, “when, one morning, my ser- 
vant called me an hour or two before my usual time, with, ‘Master, master! 
people sent for master’s dogs—tiger in the town!’ Now, my dogs chanced 
to be some very degenerate specimens of a fine species, called the Poligar 
dog, which I should designate as a sort of wiry-haired greyhound, without 
scent. I kept them to hunt jackals; but tigers are very different things. 
By the way, there are no real tigers in Ceylon; but leopards and panthers 
