S6 THE WORLD OF ANIMAL LIFE 



of the cat tribe the pecuHarities that have already been noticed in 

 the character of the claws, the pads upon the feet, the eyes, 

 whiskers, and teeth. 



The general colour of the leopard is as a rule a yellowish fawn, 

 the sides being somewhat paler than the back, while the under part 

 of the body is lighter still, and may at times be white. On the 

 head, neck, back, and limbs the leopard is marked with black 

 spots, while on the sides it has larger ring-shaped markings of 

 the same colour. 



At one time it was thought that the leopard and the panther 

 were different animals, but they are now looked upon as belonging 

 to exactly the same family, although they may vary greatly in size. 

 The leopard may be described as a small panther, while the 

 panther is nothing more than a large leopard. 



The leopards are distributed over a greater part of the world's 

 surface than almost any other members of the cat tribe. They are 

 to be found in all parts of Africa, and all but the coldest parts of 

 Asia, and wherever they are met with they are the most destructive 

 of all the wild animals that prey upon the shepherd's flocks. 



In one respect the leopard has a great advantage over both the 

 lion and the tiger, for it is a clever climber, and can run easily up 

 the smoothest and most slippery trees. A hunter perched high up 

 in a machan is fairly safe against the tiger, so long as he is above 

 springing distance, but he is by no means beyond the reach of the 

 leopard, which, if wounded, will climb up to the platform and 

 endeavour to drag him down. It is not often, however, that the 

 leopard will allow himself to be shot at from a machan. The 

 tiger, which is not accustomed to climb, .seldom raises its eyes to 

 the upper branches of the trees around, and therefore walks 

 unsuspectingly underneath the hunter's perch. The leopard, on 

 the other hand, is almost as much at home in the tree-tops as 

 on the ground, and is accustomed in his stealthy prowl through 

 the forest to examine all his surroundings with equal keenness. 



One of the most curious facts about the leopard is its fondness 

 for dog-flesh. It is not as a rule a courageous animal, although it 

 will fight with the greatest determination when wounded, but to 

 capture a dog it will run the most extraordinary risks. In some 



