Los Angeles herald., 1910-08-02
LEOPARD PROVES MOST
TREACHER0US OF ANIMALS
These DenizenS of the Animal
World Are Widely Spread
Among Fauna

Smaller in size than the lion or the
tiger, the leopard is much more dan
gerous and far more treacherous. 1t
lives a life of concealment and hides
as a rule in trees, SO that it is not
so often seen as other animals far
rarer than the leopard.
Leopards are spread widely over the
world. They are found from the Cape
of Good Hope to the Atlas mountains,
from southern China to the Black sea.
AS they differ in habitat, so do the
treacherous beasts differ in size and
color Some are almost white; others
are nut-brown. A few are jet black.
But, wherever they live, the felines are
cattle thieves and child stealers. Not
formidable in appearance, they are
immensely strong-it is not unusual
for them to turn man-eater. Both IN
India and Africa they have been
known to turn deliberately from prey
ing upon domestic animals to man,
and live on human flesh alone.
Occasionally leopards are tanned
The cubs are amusing while they are
too little to do any harm, but once
they commence to feel grown there is
| sure to be danger for human beings
| Their treachery knows no bounds-they
are just as apt to turn on the person
who has fed and petted them from
birth as they are to pounce upon an
unsuspecting dog or lamb
! A Hongkong Englishman, for exam
pie, had a tame leopard that he
! thought was perfectly safe and domes-
| ticated. 1t was brought one evening
| into the dining room by a coolie to be
| exhibited to the owners guests. EX-
| cited by the smell of food, the leopard
refused to go out when one of the
| ladies, who did not like it's looks, asked
/ 70
| hold of its collar and began to hau
| it out. 1t seized him by the neck, Bit
| it through and in a minute the coolie
was dying covered with blood, on the
| dining room floor.
The Chinese leopard ranges as fai
north as the Siberian tiger, and, Ike
it, seems to grow larger the farther
north it is found. The color of these
| northern leopards is very pale, the
spots large and the fur very long.
| Natives of all countries are unani-
nous in declaring that the leopard Is
more dangerous than the lion or th'
tiger. They have no fear of the lion
providing they are not hunting it, a
| lion will not attack unless provoked
but a, leopard is never TO be trusted.
In Africa natives were once firms
the reeds along a stream. One OF
them, a boy, being thirsty and hot
stopped down to drink He was imme
diately seized by leopard. The boy:
brother, with admirable aim, hurled
his spear at the leopard while the boy
was in his jaws. The point separated
the vertebrae of the neck and the leop
ard fell stone dead. But the boy coul(
not recover. The leopard's fangs hat
torn open his chest and injured th'
| lungs. He died during the night.
Leopards seize their prey by th'
throat, and cling with their claws unit
they succeed in breaking the spine o
in strangling the victim. They have {
habit of feeding on putrid flesh; thi
| makes wounds inflicted by their teetl
or claws liable to blood poisoning
Nothing in the way of prey come
amiss to them from a COW in the pas
ture to a fowl up at roost.
J. In the great mountain ranges of cen