The
first of these is exclusively American; the other three, African and
Asiatic. They are all four what are termed spotted cats; that is,
having black markings on a buff or yellowish ground. I need not add
that they are all beautiful creatures. A superficial observer would
easily mistake the one for the other; and in common phrase, they are
indifferently termed leopards, panthers, and even tigers; but the
naturalist, and even the _furrier_ knows that they are four distinct
species.

I shall endeavour to point out as briefly as possible some marks that
will enable _you_ to distinguish them. In the spots we find a tolerably
good criterion of the species. Those upon the body of the jaguar are
not spots, but rather what may be termed rosettes. So, too, the black
markings of the leopard and panther are rosettes; that is, irregular
black rings enclosing an open space of the yellow ground. On the
contrary, the spots upon the hunting-leopard are real spots, of a
uniform black; and, consequently, this animal is easily distinguished
from the other three. He differs from them also in shape. He is longer
in the legs, stands more upright upon them, and can run more swiftly
than any of the cat tribe. In fact, he has a tendency towards the
nature and habits of the dog, and might be appropriately termed the
cat-dog, or the dog-cat, whichever you please. It is on account of his
canine qualities that he is sometimes trained to the chase: hence his
specific name of the hunting-leopard. He inhabits both Asia and Africa.

But how are the jaguar, leopard, and panther to be distinguished from
one another? The jaguar easily enough from the other two. His rosettes
have a black point in the centre, which is wanting in the rings of the
panther and leopard. Besides, the jaguar is a larger and more powerful
animal. Humboldt and others have observed specimens of the jaguar
nearly equal in dimensions to those of the royal tiger himself; and his
feats of fierce prowess, in the forests of Spanish America, are scarce
eclipsed by those of his congener in the jungles of India. Human beings
are frequently his victims, and settlements have been abandoned on
account of the dangerous proximity of the jaguars. His range in America
is pretty nearly co-terminal with the Spanish territories--including, of
course, Brazil and Guiana, and excluding the country of Patagonia, where
a smaller species takes his place. In all these countries he is