II 
THE COMMON LEOPARD. 
The Jaguar (Felis oik; a) is the largest of the cats of the 
New World, Baron Humboldt having described one which 
equaled the average tiger in size; it inhabits the hottest parts 
of the continent from South America into upper Mexico, 
sometimes even ranging into the United States,—the princi¬ 
pal home of the species being in the dense forests which 
stretch away from both banks of the Amazon. In appearance 
there is much similarity to the leopard,—the Jaguar having a 
shorter tail and a more broken appearance of the spots cover¬ 
ing the skin. 
Many instances are given by South American travelers of 
the strength and ferocity of the Jaguar; D’Azara, in particu¬ 
lar, relates how he once saw one drag off the body of a horse 
to a considerable distance, and then swim with it across a 
wide and deep river. 
The American Panther (Felis concolor ) is generally dis¬ 
tributed through North and South America from Canada 
