18S6.J DR. GUNTHER ON A VARIliTV Ol FELIS LEOPARDUS. 2U3 



birds, and most of tlie views admit, I believe, of no reasonable 

 doubt. There can be little doubt, also, that up to a certain point 

 there is a remarkable correlation of particular styles of imbrication of 

 the cubital coverts with certain structural cnaracteristics — osteological, 

 myological, visceral, and pterographical ; so that, within certain 

 limits, the disposition of the cubital coverts may be taken as a kind 

 of index to the presence, or the absence, of deeper-seated charai;ters 

 whose importance in relation to taxonomy is generally recognized. 

 Nevertheless, until tlie facts here called attention to have been in- 

 dependently considered by other observers, I feel sure that it would 

 be premature to press the importance of the bearing that any of these 

 may seem to me to have upon taxonomic questions : for the present 

 it will probably be generally deemed advisable to lay more stress 

 upon the bearing of the facts upon the correct delineation of birds 

 for zoological purposes, than upon their value as furnisliing addi- 

 tional data as subordinate factors in any scheme of classiticatioii. 



4. Second Note ou the Melauotic Variety ol: the South- 

 African Leopard. By Dr. A. Gunther, F.Z.S. 



[Eeceived March 26, 1880.] 



By the last South-African mail I have received from Mr. N. 

 Abraham, President of the Graham's-town Natural Histoiy Society, 

 a letter with photograph enclosed, which gives more positive infor- 

 mation about the variety of the Leopard of the district of Albany, 

 mentioned by Mr. Trimen in Proc. Zool. Soc. 1S83, p. .535, and 

 described by myself, ihid. 1885, p, 243, pi. xvi. The skin in Mr. 

 Abraham's possession leaves hardly any doubt that we have before 

 us a case of incipient melanism, which, if tiie family in which the 

 melanotic tendency showed itself had been left undisturbed, might 

 liave been developed into as complete a condition of melanism as is 

 occasionally found in the Asiatic Leopard. Mr. Abraham writes as 

 follows : — 



" Graham's-town, S. A., 

 March 1st, 1886. 

 " To Dr. A. Giinther, F.Z.S. 



" Dear Sir, 



" Knowing that you are interested in the black variety of 

 Leopard found in the district of Albany, I write to tell you of a 

 beautiful skin which I have in my possession and also to send you a 

 photograph of the same. I had the flat skin photographed on 

 purpose that I might send you a copy, as I thought a photo would 

 convey a good description and save many words. It will, however, 

 be necessary for me to say that the blackness of the skin is more 

 dense than appears in the photo. The gloss upon the skin prevented 

 the photographer from gi> ing a true idea of the beautiful black, which 

 is dense in many parts. There are no rosettes or spots at all on the 

 larger portion of the skin ; in this tlie photograph is quite correct. 



14* 



