CARNIVORA. 
41 
America has altogether usurped the name of panther 
from the species of the old world, to which it was 
originally applied. 
Pennant’s description of the panther so nearly 
accords with the jaguar of America, both in person 
and disposition, that there scarcely seems a doubt of 
this animal’s being the type, whence his description 
was taken. 
Dr. Shaw states, that the leopard is best distin- 
guished from the panther by its paler yellow colour^; 
and that a true distinctive mark between them is by 
no means easy to communicate, either by descrip- 
tion, or even by figure ; but, he adds, the leopard is 
considerably the smaller of the two. He therefore 
makes the principal difference to consist in size and 
colour. A very fine animal is now exhibiting at 
Exeter ’Change, under the name of leopard, which 
is much larger, as well as brighter, than any other 
leopards in that menagerie; and should therefore, 
according to Shaw, seem to be the panther. But I 
am informed, that the animal in question was taken 
in India ; and that all those which come from Asia 
are much brighter in colour than those from Africa, 
which is confirmed by inspection of the African 
specimens there ; and that the females have more 
white about them than the other sex : and Mr. 
Cross, who has had opportunities of inspecting pro- 
bably some hundreds of specimens, insists, that he 
* But Pliny says : Quidam ab iis pantheras solo candore dis- 
cernunt, nec adhuc aliam differentiam inveni.” 
I 
