nd like little _bright_ spots, but that there are little _dark_
spots also--the bright spots being the little patches of light peeping
down, and the dark spots being the shadows where the light is shut off
by the leaves.

In the same way there are bright patches and dark patches on the bough
of the tree, where the light also falls in that manner.

And that is what a leopard's body looks like--bright patches and dark
patches. The dark patches are his spots, and the bright patches are the
ground color of his skin.

So if the deer did happen to look up to the bough when approaching the
tree, it would not be able to distinguish the leopard from the natural
patches of light and shadow near by. So the deer would not notice the
leopard, and would be caught.

And that is why the leopard finds his spots so useful to him in catching
his prey.

But why do different kinds of leopards have different kinds of spots?
Because they live in different countries, which have different kinds of
trees; and so the patches of brightness and darkness made by the
sunlight or moonlight are also different.

CHAPTER XIV

The Leopard's Habits

Now I shall tell you the other qualities and habits of the leopard.

First, his _size_. The leopard is smaller than the tiger; he is not
quite three feet high at the shoulders. The length of the leopard's
body, without the tail, is about five feet.

That is the average size of the _male_ leopard. In describing each kind
of animal I am usually telling you about the male, because he is
generally larger and stronger than the female. Why? Because the male has
to do the fighting to protect the family, especially when the children
are very young.

The leopard's _strength_ is so great that he can break a steer's neck
with a blow of his paw. He cannot carry a steer on his back, which a
tiger can do, but still the leopard can drag the steer for some
distance. As for a deer, the leopard can easily carry it. That has been
discovered in a strange manner. As I have told you, a leopard lies on
the bough of a tree and waits for a deer to pass under the tree. One
time a leopard happened to kill a deer in that way. As he was not very
hungry, he ate only a few mouthfuls from the throat and from the under
part of the deer.

He wanted to keep the deer for his next big meal. But if he kept it on
the ground, the jackals and hyenas would find it in his absence and eat
it up. So what did the leopard do? Can you