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Description. Pale fulvous yellow, belly white with black rings in the 
form of rosettes all over the body, rings on tail. White markings on the 
muzzle, black panthers are by no means uncommon. Extremely stealthy 
m habit, treacherous and ever watchful, has an extraordinary faculty for 
concealment, utilizes the most unpromising cover, climbs trees with the 
greatest ease, and, unlike the tiger, dislikes water, and will not readily swim, 
though it can do so. Kills its own food, but will eat carrion. Infinitely more 
audacious than the tiger, it regularly infests villages and mofussil stations 
carrying off sheep goats, dogs, and even poultry, while it frequently attacks 
human beings, and there are many well authenticated instances of it having 
turned man-eater. & 
Measurement *.—Average length of the larger variety (Panther), 7 feet • of 
the smaller variety (Leopard), 6 feet 4 inches. The leopard, in fact, ranges 
from o to 8 feet, and the average height at shoulder is about 2 feet. The 
leopard takps aoout 3 years to arrive at full growth. 
Record Measurements.— The largest leopard on record, 8 feet 5b inches, was 
_agged by Captain A. G. Arbuthnot at Bandipur, Kashmir, as mentioned in The 
Sportsmans Book for India. H. H. The Maharaja of Oooch-Behar has shot 
many large specimens, including one of 8 feet 4 inches (The Asian) and among 
the records that follow are four of 8 feet and upwards. Now-a-days anything 
over 4 feet 6 inches may be considered a big leopard. 
