This animal is more slender and graceful than the panther, yet it has
all the savage qualities of the feline race. Its skin is exceedingly
beautiful, being of a light fawn, marked with black spots. Nothing can
surpass the ease, grace, and agility, of its movements.
_Hunting the Leopard._--Two boors in Southern Africa, in the year 1822,
returning from hunting the hartebeest, fell in with a leopard in a
mountain ravine, and immediately gave chase to him. The animal at first
endeavored to escape, by clambering up a precipice; but, being hotly
pressed, and slightly wounded by a musket-ball, he turned upon his
pursuers, with that frantic ferocity which, on such emergencies, he
frequently displays: springing upon the man who had fired at him, he
tore him from his horse to the ground, biting him, at the same time,
very severely on the shoulder, and tearing his face and arms with his
claws. The other hunter, seeing the danger of his comrade, sprang from
his horse, and attempted to shoot the leopard through the head; but,
whether owing to trepidation, the fear of wounding his friend, or the
sudden motions of the animal, he unfortunately missed his aim. The
leopard, abandoning his prostrate enemy, darted with redoubled fury
upon this second antagonist; and so fierce and sudden was his onset,
that, before the boor could stab him with his hunting-knife, he struck
him in the eyes with his claws, and had torn the scalp over his
forehead. In this frightful condition, the hunter grappled with the
raging beast, and, struggling for life, they rolled together down a
steep declivity. All this passed so rapidly that the other man had
scarcely time to recover from the confusion into which his feline foe
had thrown him, to seize his gun, and rush forward to aid his
comrade--when he beheld them rolling together down the steep bank, in
mortal conflict. In a few moments he was at the bottom with them, but
too late to save the life of his friend, who had so gallantly defended
him. The leopard had torn open the jugular vein, and so dreadfully
mangled the throat of the unfortunate man, that his death was
inevitable; and his comrade had only the melancholy satisfaction of
completing the destruction of the savage beast, which was already much
exhausted by several deep wounds in the breast, from the desperate
knife of the expiring huntsman.
_Captive Leopards._--Mr. Brown gives us the following account: "There
are at present in the Tower a pair of these animals, from Asia,
confined in the same den. The female is very tame, and gentle in her
temper, and will allow herself to be patted and caressed by the
keepers, while she licks their hands, and purrs. She, however, has one
peculiarity--that she cannot bear many of the appendages which visitors
bring with them to the menagerie. She has a particular predilection for
the destruction of parasols, umbrellas, muffs, and hats, which she
frequently contrives to lay hold of before the unwary spectator can
prevent it, and tears them to pieces in an instant. She has been five
years in the Tower, during which time she has seized and destroyed
several hundreds of these articles, as well as other parts of ladies'
dress. While this creature is in a playful mood, she bounds about her
cell with the quickness of thought, touching the four sides of it
nearly at one and the same instant. So rapid are her motions, that she
can scarcely be followed by the eye; and she will even skim along the
ceiling of her apartment with the same amazing rapidity, evincing great
pliability of form and wonderful muscular powers. The male has been
about two years in the Tower, and is only beginning to suffer
familiarities; but he seems jealous of the slightest approach. He is
larger than the female, the color of his skin more highly toned, and
the spotting more intensely black."