MUSEUM OF ANIMATED NATURE. 



[Tiger and Leopards, 



elephants, which often lose all obedience to control 

 at such a moment, together with the rapidity of the 

 attack, render this a critical juncture, and fatal acci- 

 dents have often embittered the conclusion of the 

 contest. Instances are on record in which men 

 have been carried off by tigers while travelling in 

 company with others. The fate of Sir Hector 

 Monro's son, who was carried off out of the midst of 

 a party refreshing themselves on the edge of a 

 jungle, December, 1792, in Sawgar Island, is known 

 to all. Similar instances are related. 



Tigers are destroyed b}^ various devices — pitfalls, 

 traps, the spear, and gun. The plan of the box-trap 

 and looking-glass for taking tigers, leopards, &c, a 

 device to be found in ancient sculpture, according 

 to Montfaucon, is said to be practised by the Chinese 

 at the present day. Fig. 32 refers to this kind of 

 trap. 



Those who have represented the tiger as untame- 

 able have no ground for the assertion. It is as 

 capable of being tamed, and of attachment to its 

 keeper, as any other animal of its kind. Yet with 

 the tiger, the lion, and others of the race, caution 

 should be used. Their natural disposition is ever 

 ready to break out, and the mildest will, how- 

 ever tame thej^ be, often show ' the wild trick of their 

 ancestors.' 



Neither the tiger nor the lion are capable of 

 climbling trees, as are most of the lighter of the 

 feline race : their prey is therefore exclusively con- 

 fined to antelopes, deer, oxen, horses, and the like ; 

 while monkeys, and even birds, are among the prey 

 of the leopard, the panther, and the smaller Felidse. 



29 — 33. The Leopard, Panther, axd Ounce. 



The leopard {Felis Leopardus), the panther (Felis 

 Pardus), and the ounce of Buffon (Felis Uncia), 

 have been by many naturalists confounded together, 

 and even with the jaguar of the American continent. 

 With respect to the "leopard and panther there are 

 great difficulties in coming to a determination 

 whether they are distinct species or not. In both 

 we observe rosettes, or spots arranged in rose-form, 

 on a fine yellow ground ; but in the size and minor 

 arrangement of these rosettes there is the greatest 

 variation. Major H. Smith defines the leopard as 

 differing from the panther in being of a paler yel- 

 lowish "colour, of rather smaller size, and with the 

 dots rose-formed, consisting of several dots partially 

 united into a circular figure in some instances, and 

 into a quadrangular, triangular, or other less deter- 

 minate form, in others ; having also isolated black 

 spots, especially about the outside of the limbs. 



In the panther the open spots have the central 

 space darker than the general colour of the sides. 

 The subject is still open for investigation. 



Both these beautiful creatures are widely spread 

 in the Old World, being natives of Africa, India, 

 and the Indian Islands, as Ce}don, Sumatra, &c. &c. 

 In Java a black variety {Felis melas) is not uncom- 

 mon, and such are occasionally seen in our mena- 

 geries : they are deeper than the general tint, and 

 show in certain lights only (fig. 30). A black cub, 

 it is said, occasionally occurs in the same nest with 

 others of the ordinary colours. 



Nothing can exceed the grace and activity of 

 these animals : they bound with astonishing ease, 

 climb trees, and swim, and the flexibility of the 

 body enables them to creep along the ground "with 

 the cautious silence of a snake on their unsuspect- 

 ing prey. In India the leopard is called by the 

 natives the Tree Tiger, from its generally taking 

 refuge when pursued in a tree, and also from being 

 often seen among the branches: so quick and 

 active is the animal in this situation, that it is not 

 easy to take a fair aim at. him. 



Antelopes, deer, small quadrupeds, and monkeys, 

 are its prey. It seldom attacks a man voluntarily, 

 but if provoked becomes a formidable assailant. 



The leopard is taken in pitfalls and traps. In 

 some old writers there are accounts of the Jeopard 

 being taken in a trap by means of a mirror, which, 

 when the animal jumps against it, brings the door 

 down upon him. This story may have received 

 some sanction from the disposition of the domestic 

 cat, when young, to survey her figure in a looking- 

 glass. 



The leopard and panther are easily tamed, and 

 become gentle and affectionate, purring when 

 pleased, and rubbing their sides against the bars of 

 their cage, or against their keeper like a cat. 

 When at play thev bound around their enclosure with 

 the agility of a squirrel, and so quick that the eye 

 can scarcely follow their movements. From such 

 an exhibition we may easily form some idea of their 

 agile movements in a state of nature. 



In Loudon's « Magazine of Natural History' is an 

 account, by Mrs. Bowdich, of a tame leopard which 

 she had in" her possession. She won the affections 

 of the creature by presenting him with lavender- 

 water on a tray-card. The animal revelled in the 

 delicious essence almost to extacy. We know the 

 fondness of the common cat for mint, valerian, a.nd 



other aromatic herbs, on which they delight to roll. 

 The leopard stands about two feet in height : its 

 figure is slim and graceful, but vigorous, and its 

 proportions admirable. 



The ounce {Once, Buffon), Felis Uncia. Whatever 

 may be the specific distinction between the leopard 

 and panther, no one can hesitate as to the ounce, 

 figured by Buffon, and after him by Bewick {'Quad- 

 rupeds').* Till recently, however, it was con- 

 founded with one or both of the above animals, but is 

 most, decidedly a different species. Our figure (31) 

 is taken from a specimen in the British Museum, 

 which in 1837 Mr. Gray brought before the notice 

 of a scientific meeting of the Zoological Society of 

 London. It formed part of a collection made by the 

 late Colonel Cobb in India. The fur is full" and 

 long, indicating most probably a mountain residence 

 rather than the sultry plains. The general colour is 

 grey or whitish-grey, tinged with yellow, lighter on 

 the breast and under parts. The head is marked on 

 the top with black spots, a large one being behind 

 the ears. The body and sides of the limbs are 

 variegated with irregular wavy marks, forming 

 rounded or rather oval figures, but not definitely 

 nor so orderly arranged as in the leopard. The 

 tail, which is very long, is almost bushy, especially 

 at its termination, the hair being very full. An 

 individual of this species was seen by Colonel H. 

 Smith in the Tower, before the menagerie contained 

 within its precincts was dispersed. It was said to 

 have been brought from the Gulf of Persia. 



34. — The Rimau-Dahan 



(Felis m,acrocelis, Temm.). This beautiful species 

 is a native of Sumatra, where it was discovered by 

 the late Sir Stamford Raffles, who brought a young 

 specimen alive to England, where it died soon after 

 its arrival. A larger and older individual was lost 

 in the Fame. Respecting these individuals, Sir S. 

 Raffles remarks that they were, while in confine- 

 ment, remarkable for good-temper and playfulness ; 

 no domestic kitten could be more so : they courted 

 the notice of persons, throwing themselves on their 

 backs, and delighting to be fondled. 



With a small dog that was on board, the rimau- 

 dahan used to play and gambol, at the same time 

 acting with great gentleness. He never seemed to 

 look on men or children as prey, but as companions, 

 and the natives assert that when wild they live 

 principally on poultry, birds, and the smaller kinds 

 of deer. They are not found in numbers, and may 

 be considered as rather rare even in Sumatra : they 

 are found in the interior of Bencoolen, on the banks 

 of the Bencoolen river, and frequent the vicinity of 

 villages, not being dreaded, except for their pro- 

 pensity to destroy poultry. The natives assert that 

 they sleep and often lie in wait for their prey in 

 tress, and from this circumstance they derive the 

 name of dahan, which signifies the fork formed by 

 the branch of a tree, across which they are said to 

 rest and occasionally stretch themselves. The 

 rimau-dahan is, when adult, larger than the leopard, 

 and is remarkable for the thickness and strength of 

 its limbs and paws, but the contour of its body is 

 very graceful. The head is small, and the physi- 

 ognomy less expressive of ferocity than that of the 

 tiger or leopard. The tail is extremely long and 

 thickly covered with fine full fur, as indeed is the 

 body also. The general ground-colour is brownish- 

 grey, on which are dispersed streaks and marbled 

 markings of black of an irregular form, and more or 

 less angular. Two longitudinal bands pass along 

 the spine ; a band stretches from each ear down the 

 side of the neck, and two obliquely traverse each 

 side of the face. The large marbled markings have 

 an abrupt edge behind, and the black has the ap- 

 pearance of velvet. 



An allied but much smaller species from the 

 Indian Islands will be found described in the 'Pro- 

 ceedings of the Zoological Society of London ' for 

 1836, p'. 107, under the title of Felis Marmorata. 



35.— The Nepaul Tiger-Cat 



(Felis Nepalensis). This is a slender species, 

 measuring about one foot ten inches in the length 

 of the head and body, that of the tail being ten and 

 a half inches. Its distinguishing characters are its 

 lengthened contour and the slenderness and pro- 

 portional length of the tail. The ground is tawny- 

 grey, passing into white on the throat and under 

 parts; longitudinal marks of a deep black run down 

 the back, and broad irregular dashes of the same 

 colour ornament the sides, flanks, and outer surface 

 of the. limbs ; the under parts are marked with 

 oval spots, the thighs externally with rounded 

 spots ; the tail above, excepting at the extremity, 

 spotted: the cheeks streaked with two black lines, 

 and a transverse lunar mark passes round the 

 angle of the mouth, while a narrow band is con- 

 tinued across the throat. An individual of this 

 species was formerly living in the gardens of the 



The concluding Jiivrl of Bewick's details Tefer to the cheetah, 

 which he elsewhere notices, hut nut by its name. 



Zoological Society, London. It was extremely 

 savage and wild : it generally sat up like a domestic 

 cat, and never paced its den as do most of the feline 

 animals. It is stated to have come originally from 

 Nepaul, whence it was sent to Calcutta, and thence 

 brought to England. 



36.— The Serval 



(Felis Serval). The serval is a native of Southern 

 Africa, and is not uncommon in menageries: speci 

 mens are living in the gardens of the Zoological 

 Society of London. It is frequently very tame and 

 playful, gambolling like a kitten, and enduring 

 captivity without sullenness or a display of ferocity. 

 The disposition of the feline, race greatly depends 

 on the treatment they experience, so that, while 

 some are savage and distrustful, others of the same 

 species are familiar. Some species, however, are 

 more easily reclaimed than others, and of these we 

 may count the serval. 



The serval stands about eighteen inches in height 

 at the shoulders : the length of the head and body 

 is thirty-four inches, that of the tail ten inches. 



The upper parts are of a clear yellowish white 

 with black spots: the lower parts are white, 

 spotted more distantly with black. Symmetrical 

 lines adorn the head and neck directed towards the 

 shoulders. The back of the ears is black at the 

 base, then barred transversely with white, and 

 tipped with yelloAv : on the inside of the forelimbs 

 are two black bars. Tail ringed witli black. 



The general form is slender, and the limbs are 

 thin ; the head is long, compressed, and viverrine 

 in its character ; the ears are. large and broad, and 

 their bases nearly meet each other on the top of the 

 head, giving a singular expression to the phy- 

 siognomy. In some specimens the markings are 

 more decided than in others. Our measurements 

 are taken from one of five specimens in the Museum 

 at Paris. 



37, 38. — The Cheetah 



{Fells jubata). This elegant animal, the cheetah, 

 or hunting leopard, is spread extensively through- 

 out. Africa and India. Mr. Bennett observes that 

 "Chardin, Bernier, Tavernier. and others of the 

 older travellers, had related that in several parts of 

 Asia it was customary to make use of a large spotted 

 cat in the pursuit of game, and that this animal was 

 called youze in Persia, and cheetah in India; but 

 the statements of these writers were so imperfect, 

 and the descriptions given by them so incomplete, 

 that it was next to impossible to recognise the par- 

 ticular species intended. We now, however, know 

 with certainty that the animal thus employed is the 

 Felis jubata of naturalists, which inhabits the greater 

 part both of Asia and Africa. It is common in 

 India and Sumatra, as well as in Persia, and is well 

 known both in Senegal and at the Cape of Good 

 Hope ; but the ingenuity of the savage natives of 

 the latter countries has not, so far as we know, been 

 exerted in rendering its services available in the 

 chase in the manner so successfully practised by the 

 more refined and civilised inhabitants of Persia and 

 Hindostan." 



The cheetah differs in one or two points from t&e 

 more typical of its race. The Felidse in general 

 possess a broad rounded paw, armed with sharp- 

 hooked and completely retractile claws, which are 

 protruded at pleasure ; but in the cheetah the foot 

 is long and narrow, and more like that of a dog, 

 while the claws, from the laxity of the spring-liga- 

 ments, are very partially retracted, and are coi :sc- 

 quently worn and blunted at the points. As huge 

 in the body as the leopard, the cheetah is superior 

 to that animal in height, and differs from it. also in 

 general figure. In the first place, the limbs, un- 

 adapted for climbing, are long, slender, and taper- 

 ing ; and the bodyrwhich is deficient in breadth, 

 reminds one in some degree of that of the grey- 

 hound. In consequence of these differences, Wag- 

 ler separated it into a distinct genus, under the title 

 of Cynailurus, in allusion to its intermediate station 

 between the canine and feline races. The African 

 cheetah has been by some regarded as a distinct 

 species from that of India, under the supposition 

 that the thin mane which covers the back of the 

 neck was characteristic only of the African animal. 

 Under this impression, the term jubata (maned) 

 was restricted to the African, and the term venatica 

 (hunting) given to the Indian, cheetah. This is, 

 however, altogether erroneous. In India the wild 

 animal has a rough coat, in which the mane is 

 marked; but domesticated animals from the same 

 part of the country are destitute of a mane, and 

 have a smooth coat. The general colour of the 

 cheetah is fawn-yellow, covered with round black 

 spots ; a distinct black stripe passes from the inner 

 angle of the eye to the angle of the mouth. The 

 tip^of the nose is black. The profile of the fore- 

 head and face is convex ; the eye is peculiarly large, 

 fine, and expressive; the pupils are circular; the 

 tail is long, and curled up at its extremity, which is 



