128 
THE CHETAH. 
very peculiar animal, having certain charac¬ 
teristics which seem to approach those of 
the dog. Thus, its claws are not retractile, 
—that is, they cannot be drawn hack into a 
sheath as the kitten’s are,—hut rest upon 
the ground like those of the dog and wolf. 
Nevertheless, it is a true cat, and one of the 
handsomest and most docile of the group. 
Its fur is of a beautiful yellowish-fawn co¬ 
lour above, and nearly pure white beneath, 
and is variegated with numberless black 
spots, which are not arranged in rose form 
like those of the leopard and panther, but 
are scattered promiscuously over the sides 
and body. It is not so smooth and soft as 
that of the leopard and tiger, but somewhat 
crimp in its character, and there is a kind 
of mane or crest of hard, stiff, upright hairs 
along the ridge of the back. The tail is 
about as long as the body, has a white tip, 
and is surrounded near the extremity with 
several black rings. The end of the nose 
is black like a dog’s; and there is a curved 
black line extending from the mouth to the 
inner angle of the eyes. The chetah stands 
higher upon its legs than the rest of the 
family, and somewhat resembles a hound in 
