NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA 



South Africa these black varieties have been re- 

 corded. There is a difference, however, in the 

 Asiatic and the South African black leopards. In 

 the former the body colour, instead of being yellovi^, 

 is black, and the rosettes may be seen standing out, 

 owing to their greater degree of blackness, like spots 

 on watered silk when the light shines obliquely 

 upon it. In the African variety of black leopard 

 the blackness is caused by a profusion of black 

 spots, which fuse and sometimes present an almost 

 uniform black coat. 



When I first took over the management of the 

 Port Elizabeth Museum, I found a black leopard on 

 exhibition, which had been shot in Humansdorp 

 district. At a distance the body appeared almost 

 black, yet, when closely viewed, the rosettes, 

 although fusing with their neighbours, did not 

 obliterate the usual yellow body colour entirely. 

 The head and neck of this specimen showed more 

 yellow than the body. Unfortunately the skin 

 was found to be riddled by insect pests, and had 

 to be destroyed, with the exception of the head 

 and a portion of the neck. 



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