There is good chiaroscuro in both of the above groups; and the scene of rocky wildness in which the latter are placed, as well as the rich colouring of the fur of the animals, are ably indicated.
The reader may perhaps not be displeased to attend here for a moment, to a short epitome of what the Naturalists have said concerning the distinctive marks of this interesting quadruped, the Panther: nor to be informed or reminded of the strong resemblance which he bears to the Leopard.
Dr. Shaw observes that Linnæus himself has confounded the Panther with the Leopard; but adds, that “a true distinctive mark between them, is by no means easy to communicate either by description or even by figure.” He thinks that the Leopard is the smaller of the two species of animals, and its colour a paler yellow: and Mr. Griffith, in his “Carnivora,” says, “A very fine animal is now exhibiting at Exeter ’Change under the name of Leopard, which is much larger as well as brighter than any other Leopard in that Menagerie, and should, therefore, according to Shaw, seem to be the Panther. But I am informed that the animal in question was taken in India, and that all those which come from Asia, are much brighter in colour than those from Africa, which is confirmed by inspection of the African specimens there; and that the females have more white about them than the other sex: and Mr. Cross, who has had opportunities of inspecting probably some hundreds of specimens, insists that he has never observed any specific difference between those brought from Asia and Africa, among themselves, except that the Asiatic are generally larger and brighter.”
Lichtenstein, in a note communicated to Major Smith, describes the Panther as resembling the Jaguar, in having the same number of rows of spots, but different in having no full spots, on the dorsal line. If this be correct, then is the existence of the Panther established as being distinct from the Leopard: but I do not find that full spots on the dorsal line always make a specific difference of the Jaguar. When, therefore, it is said, that the Panther much resembles the Jaguar, it is always strongly to be suspected that the type whence the observations are taken is an American animal. If the contrary be clearly established, and the animal be found to have large round or oval open marks of black, with a central spot on the sides and back, and a tail longer than from its insertion to the ground, it may be concluded that it is the real Panther.
Lastly, that indefatigable investigator, Cuvier, says he was long in doubt whether the Panther and Leopard were distinct: but a comparison of a great number of skins, as well as observations on the numerous animals sent to the French Museum, have satisfied him that they are different; and he accordingly describes the Panther as having six or seven rows of rose-like spots in transverse lines, the tail longer and the head larger than the Jaguar, and the ground-colour of the fur paler. The Leopard he describes as a little less than the Panther, though with the same proportions; but the spots, as much more numerous, forming ten transverse lines.
The opinion of Cuvier is certainly deserving of the greatest attention; but it may be observed that his enumeration of the six or seven rows of spots in the Panther, and of ten in the Leopard, is not so certainly intelligible as might be desired, when it is considered that the spots or marks in question have really little or no parallelism. Notwithstanding, therefore, this respectable authority, it seems very probable that the Panther and Leopard are one and the same species, which branches into two varieties, the Asiatic and the African; the former of which is brighter in colour, and probably something larger than the latter; and that the females of both are paler and less than the other sex. Cicero, in his letters to Atticus, speaks of the Panther of Africa, and the Asiatic Panther; as if they were different.
The ancient naturalists were not a whit more successful in distinguishing these two quadrupeds, than the moderns, notwithstanding the opportunities which they possessed of inspecting so many. Mr. Griffith comments on Shaw, Lichtenstein, and Cuvier; so did Cicero and Pliny, on Aristotle. Hence their Panthera, Pardus, and the Leopardus of the later ages of Rome (the last of which plainly indicates their supposition that a Lion or Lioness had been concerned in the generation of this spotted animal.)
It is surprising to reflect on the great number of Panthers, which in those later ages of Rome, were brought from the deserts of Africa for their public shows. Scaurus exhibited an hundred and fifty of them at one time; Pompey, four hundred and ten; and Augustus, four hundred and twenty! They probably thinned the province of Mauritania almost to extirpation; which may account for the superior abundance of these quadrupeds, as well as of Lions, at present, in Guinea, and the more southern parts of Africa.
It would appear, that after all that has been accomplished by the spot and row-counting philosophers, the distinction between Panthers and Leopards is by no means made out; and we take it, that whenever Nature means to mark a distinction of this sort, she always does it with a firmer hand, and more decisive line.