Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume X.djvu/360

 354 LEONIDAS LEOPARD ihrem Vorkommen (2d ed., 1855), and Grund- ziige der Geognosie und Geologie (2d ed., 1863). LEOXIDAS, king of Sparta, son of King An- axandrides, and the 17th of the family of the Agides, killed at the battle of Thermopylae, 480 B. C. He married Gorgo, daughter of his half brother Cleomenes, whom he succeeded as king in 491. When Athens and Sparta re- solved to resist the invasion of Xerxes, Leoni- das led the Spartan forces, and gained immortal glory, fighting and falling heroically with his chosen band. (See THERMOPYLAE.) LEONINE CITY (Oittd Leonina, and Borgd), the name given to that portion of Koine com- prising the Vatican basilica and palace with the surrounding suburb, which Leo IV. (847-'55) enclosed with a wall. In the time of Leo III. (795-816) the frequent descents made by the Saracens on the coast of Italy inspired that pontiff with the design of securing against their attacks the churches and religious establish- ments outside the walls of Eome. Shortly be- fore his accession to the pontificate the Sara- cens ascended the Tiber and plundered the ba- silica of St. Peter on the Vatican and that of St. Paul without the wall. Leo III. having in- formed the emperor Lothaire of this, the lat- ter encouraged him to enclose these churches within the circuit of the walls, and sent large contributions in money from himself and his brothers for that purpose. Leo consulted the Romans, called in the peasants from the Oam- pagna, and labored for four years (848-'52) in constructing the fortifications round the Vati- can and the adjoining suburb, which he con- nected with the city. A tax was also levied on the entire duchy of Rome to defray the cost of the work. This part of Rome was hence called the Leonine City. It was still further fortified and embellished by Nicholas V. (1447-'55). It was the district inhabited by the Anglo-Saxon pilgrims during the early ages; hence the name of Sassia applied to it afterward. It also contains the Giraud palace, built by Bramante, which was the residence of the English ambassador before the reformation. LEOPARD (felis leopardus, Linn.), a carniv- orous mammal of Africa and India, often con- founded with the African panther (F. pardus, Linn.), but of smaller size, paler yellow color, and with more numerous rows of spots. It is very graceful, slender, and active, the body be- ing about 38 in. long, the tail 27, and the height 26 ; the ground color of the fur is tawny yel- low, whitish below, the sides and back with numerous circles formed of from three to five spots of black; the head, fore quarter, and limbs marked with irregularly shaped spots; the color within the circles being darker ren- ders them more distinct ; according to F. Cuvier, ten of these ringed spots can be counted in a perpendicular line from the back to the un- der parts. The leopard inhabits thick forests, preying upon antelopes, deer, and mammals of similar size, and even sheep, hares, and wild and domestic fowls ; being an excellent climber, it resorts to trees in pursuit of game or for safety ; it is taken in traps, or shot from trees into which it has been pursued by dogs. It is frequently seen in captivity, and occasionally breeds in confinement, being gravid nine weeks, and the young born blind. This animal is con- Felis leopardus, sidered by many authorities as the same with the panther, and by equally good ones as dis- tinct. (See PANTHER.) The hunting leopard of Africa (felis jubata, Schreb.), which Wag- ler has elevated to a genus cynailurus, is a very interesting animal, having the colors and appearance of the larger spotted cats, and yet with a form and a susceptibility of being trained like the dog, so much so that Cuvier calls it a canine cat. The color is bright tawny yellow, covered with full, round, black spots equally distributed ; there is a mane of longer hair on the neck ; the legs are longer than in the African Hunting Leopard (Felia jubata). leopard, and the claws are not retractile ; the length is 3 ft. With the strength, supple- ness, teeth, and powerful jaws of the cats, it wants their sharp claws and ferocious dispo- sition; it is easily tamed, and is trained to chase deer like a hound ; the hair has a crisp-