THE LEOPARD. 
113 
name is frequently corrupted into ‘painter.’ 
It is, however, a very different animal, as 
you will see when we come to examine them 
both. Between the panther and the leopard 
there seems to he some confusion. Almost 
all naturalists, however, are of the opinion 
that they are distinct species, though it seems 
rather difficult to distinguish between them. 
The general colour of the leopard is yel¬ 
lowish, becoming white underneath, and 
marked with many black spots, which vary 
in size and arrangement. Those on the 
head, neck, a part of the shoulders and the 
limbs, are full, small, and placed close to 
each other in a confused manner; those on 
the body are arranged four or five together 
in a rose-like form, the parts surrounded 
by these circles of spots being of a deeper 
colour than the rest of the skin. Ten of 
these ringed spots, which are said to re¬ 
semble the print of the animal’s foot in the 
sand, may he counted in a perpendicular line 
from the top of the hack to the under part 
of the body. The back of the ear is black, 
with a white spot in the middle; there is an¬ 
other white spot over the eye, and a black 
one at the opening of the lips. The pan- 
