90 Animal Life 
(Siwalik hills), and no doubt, like so many other modern mammalian types—lions, tigers, 
antelopes, giraffes, oxen, apes, and man himself—originated in that laboratory of creation, 
India. At the present time the cheetah is found in all the uncivilised parts of Africa 
which are of an arid character yet able to sustain gazelles and other antelopes. Thus 
it inhabits Southern Tunis, Tripoli, and the outskirts (orth, south, and east) and the 
oases of the Sahara desert; Kordofan, the Egyptian Sudan, Darfur, Nileland, the lowlands 
of Abyssinia, Somaliland, the drier parts of East and East Central and, though now 
partially exterminated, nearly all South and South-West Africa. South of the Zambesi, 
on the colder uplands, the cheetah develops a variety which may be on its way to form 
a new species—the “ woolly” cheetah, with thicker fur and spots that, instead of being 
black, are chestnut-brown. In Somaliland and Abyssinia the cheetah is often caught 
when young and tamed, till it is as domestic and friendly as a dog. 
Photograph by Fratelli Alniari, Florence. 
A GROUP OF LEOPARDS. 
The colouring of the cheetah cubs is somewhat remarkable. The ground colour 
of their body fur is grey (mot yellow as in the adult) spotted with black; there is a 
very distinct mane of long hair over the shoulders and neck, and this is palish yellow, 
marked with longitudinal spots or short streaks of brown. The tails of the cubs are 
short, much shorter than in the adult. 
The next article in this series will deal with African Antelopes. 
A CROW-HATCHERY. 
From America comes the report that a crow-hatchery has been started to supply big 
millinery houses with crows’ wings and heads. The hatchery is at present comparatively 
small, as, owing to the extreme shyness of the birds, the owner has succeeded in 
capturing and raising only about two hundred of them, but next season he expects to 
have two thousand on hand. They will be carefully protected and liberally fed. A ready 
sale at 50 cents. for each head and 25 cents. a pair for wings is expected. 
