160 THE ZOOLOGIST. 
that man-eaters are mangy and decrepit beasts, sans teeth, sans 
hair, and sans anything and everything that makes a Tiger the 
formidable creature he is in his prime. ‘This is occasionally 
true, but man-slayers have also constantly been found to be 
sleek, lusty, and in their full strength and vigour. It is not, 
therefore, entirely dependent on age and its concomitant weak- 
ness that the Tiger takes to this habit. I think the argument 
advanced by many observers and naturalists that the animal, 
either accidentally or by press of hunger, having once seized a 
man and found out what an easy captive he had made, and in 
addition that the flesh is palatable, takes advantage of this ac- 
quired knowledge, and thenceforth becomes that dreaded being, — 
a man-eater,—is equally reasonable with the former, and may be 
accepted perhaps as the more probable of the two. 
LroparpD (Felis pardus). 
Although there is but one species, there are two varieties of 
this beast. The larger is styled by sportsmen the “‘ Panther” ; 
the Snow Leopard is only found in the Himalaya range in alti- 
tudes ranging from 8000 to 10,000 ft. The Panthers grow up to 
nearly eight feet in length, and are more savage, active, and 
determined than many a Tiger. The colouration is orange 
yellow, passing into white below. It is spotted with deep or 
brownish black, sometimes distinct, sometimes composed of two, 
three, or even four points disposed in a circle and surrounding a 
space, always somewhat darker than the ground colour, and ~ 
shading into it below. Along the spine, on either side, the spots 
are arranged in parallel bands. On the head and legs the circular 
spots pass by degrees into mere points; the tail is ringed with 
annular spots. On the hinder part of the ears is a clear spot. 
In the true Panthers the rings are more regular than in the 
Leopards; but no two skins are exactly alike in marking. 
Panthers live more on cattle; Leopards principally on Dogs and 
any small game they can find,—consequently one is an inhabitant 
of the plains, and the other of hilly ground. Leopards are very 
plentiful in the Cossyah and Jynteah Hills, and when Shillong 
was first occupied, any Dog that ventured out of the house after 
dark was sure to be seized and carried away. Notably two large 
towns, Burpeltah and Hazoo, in Assam, were infested with 
