102 ANIMALS IN MENAGERIES. 



of the whole tribe, is so scarce in Asia, as rarely to lie 

 seen or even heard of ; but in Africa, all travellers agree 

 in representing it as peculiarly numerous, even at the 

 present time ; and it must have been formerly much more 

 common, since the hundreds which were sent to Rome 

 by order of the barbaric emperors, were all drawn from 

 this continent. To Africa, also, is confined the species 

 or varieties of the panther and leopard, enumerated by 

 major Smith ; while the two tigers subsequently de- 

 scribed, are the only animals of an equal size that have 

 yet been found in Asia. Hence it appears, that al- 

 though both these continents are remarkable for large 

 quadrupeds, the preponderance both of the herbivorous 

 and the carnivorous races belongs to Africa. Did we 

 merely look to the number of species of the latter ani- 

 mals found in the New World, the inferences we have 

 drawn would appear fallacious; for, while not more than 

 eight or nine respectively occur in Africa and Asia, 

 there are no less than sixteen already described as na- 

 tives of America, exclusive of the lynxes : it will be 

 observed, however, that only three of these are of a 

 middling size ; and that they prey almost entirely upon 

 the smaller quadrupeds, birds, and fish. The herbi- 

 vorous Mammalia of this continent, in comparison to 

 those of the Old World, are few, and in the temperate and 

 tropical parts are but thinly dispersed. The rest of the 

 American species of Felis, amounting to thirteen, are 

 tiger-cats, living almost entirely upon the innumerable 

 birds of this continent of forests, and upon the boundless 

 profusion of fish which swarm in its numerous and 

 majestic rivers. Our own opinions on this head, the 

 result of our personal researches, are fully confirmed by 

 the sentiments of Mr. Burchell, who has explored, with 

 his usual enterprise and skill, a large portion of that 

 continent not visited by us. The American tiger-cats, 

 in fact, are more aquatic than those of any other con- 

 tinent : even the jaguar habitually frequents the neigh- 

 bourhood of great rivers, and is described as a useful 

 fisher. Mr. Burchell gives us the same account of a 



