44 
CARNIVORA. 
the African*; the former of which is brighter in co- 
lour, and probably something larger, than the latter; 
and that the females of both are paler, and less than 
the other sex. If this be so, the name panther should 
be retained, and that of leopard dismissed, as founded 
in an erroneous position. 
The figure is from a specimen which was some 
time ago at Exeter ’Change : but it must not be con- 
cluded, that the marks exhibited by this animal, or 
any other individual of the species, convey a strict 
or minute idea of the specific characters, for it is very 
difficult to find any two skins of the large spotted 
cats found in the world, which correspond with any 
precision ; and independent of this general differ- 
ence, and of sexual peculiarity, the same animal will 
vary considerably when adult from its appearance 
during nonage, and will then exhibit spots which 
were not visible before. Thus it is scarcely possible 
to select any fixed determinate peculiarities, by which 
in a few words, or a single period, any animal may 
be known. Even generic characters pass from one 
genus through some one or more species into another, 
so as to render it uncertain to which of the genera, 
if either, such intermediate species properly belong; 
but the difficulty is much greater as it regards specific 
descriptions, which are generally grounded on ex- 
ternal marks or size, the former of which in parti- 
* Cicero, in his letters to Atticus, speaks of the panther of 
Africa and the Asiatic panther, as if they were different. 
