. Natural history. Zoology. FLESH-EATING MAMMALS. 53 are the lion {V. leo), common to Africa, Persia, and India, although rapidly- disappearing from the latter country ; the tiger {F. tirp-is), ranging from India to China and Siberia, although unknown in Ceylon ; the leopard or panther {F. pardus), also common to Asia and Africa ; the snow-leopard, or ounce {F. undo) of Central Asia ; the jaguar {F. onca) of South and Central America ; and the puma {F. concolor), which has the widest range in latitude of any animal, extending from the south of Patagonia to the Great Slave Lake. Of these, the l
. Natural history. Zoology. FLESH-EATING MAMMALS. 53 are the lion {V. leo), common to Africa, Persia, and India, although rapidly- disappearing from the latter country ; the tiger {F. tirp-is), ranging from India to China and Siberia, although unknown in Ceylon ; the leopard or panther {F. pardus), also common to Asia and Africa ; the snow-leopard, or ounce {F. undo) of Central Asia ; the jaguar {F. onca) of South and Central America ; and the puma {F. concolor), which has the widest range in latitude of any animal, extending from the south of Patagonia to the Great Slave Lake. Of these, the lion and puma are uniformly tawny coloured species, although showing traces of spots in the young state and sometimes in certain lights even in the adult ; the male lion being distinguished from all other members of the genus by the large mane (which may be dark coloured), covering the head, neck, and shoulders, and the tuft at the tip of the tail, in which is a small horny claw of unknown function. The tiger has double transverse black stripes on an orange or tawny ground ; while all the other species named are maiked by dark rosettes or rings on a light ground. In both the leopard and jaguar the central portion of the rosette is darker than the general ground colour of the fur ; but whereas in the former the rosettes form simple rings, in the latter there is one or more Bolid black spots in the centre. On the head and limbs the spots are solid, and the tail is ornamented with rings. In the ounce the fur is much longer than that of the ordinary leopard, and the Siberian variety of the tiger differs in the same manner from Indian examples. Although the lion is a much noisier animal than the tiger, in power^ size, and habits, the two are very similar. It would be out of place to enter into any detailed discussion as to the of either lions or tigers, as this has been fully investigated in other works. In regard to tigers, it may, however, be mentioned, that it is now g
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