32 WILD ANIMAL CELEBRITIES 



shows, nearly all are familiar with the 

 leopard, and many of us have seen the black 

 leopard, with its jet skin looking like richly 

 watered silk in some lights, its cruel eyes and 

 villainous expression of countenance; but it 

 is a comparatively rare thing to have the op- 

 portunity of studying a white, or Snow 

 Leopard or Ounce, to give it its proper 

 name. 



Although known to the scientific world for 

 nearly a hundred years, it was a long time 

 before the habitat of this animal was discov- 

 ered in the elevated part of Central Asia. 

 Up to comparatively a few years ago only one 

 living specimen had been obtained for ex- 

 hibition in Europe. This was quite a young 

 one exhibited in the London Zoological Gar- 

 dens in 1891. In spite of every care, how- 

 ever, it only lived a short time after its ar- 

 rival. Since then, another specimen has been 

 procured and is now alive and in good con- 

 dition in these same Gardens. 



Also, in the Zoological Gardens at Moscow, 

 Russia, there is now a very fine pair of these 



