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LEONTIUS

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Originally appearing in Volume V16, Page 456 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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LEONTIUS , theological writer, See also:

born at See also:Byzantium, flourished during the 6th See also:century. He is variously styled BYZANTINUS, HIEROSOLYMITANUS (as an inmate of the monastery of St Saba near See also:Jerusalem) and SCHOLASTICUS (the first " schoolman," as the introducer of the Aristotelian See also:definitions into See also:theology; according to others, he had been an See also:advocate, a See also:special meaning of the word scholasticus). He himself states that in his See also:early years he belonged to a Nestorian community. Nothing else is known of his See also:life; he is frequently confused with others of the same name, and it is uncertain which of the See also:works bearing the name Leontius are really by him. Most scholars regard as genuine the polemical See also:treatises Contra Nestorianos et Eutychianos, Contra Nestorianos, Contra Monophysitas, Contra Severurn (See also:patriarch of See also:Antioch) ; and the EXo? ta, generally called De Sectis. An See also:essay Adversus fraudes Apollinaristarum and two homilies are referred to other hands, the homilies to a Leontius, See also:presbyter of See also:Constantinople. Collected works in J. P. See also:Migne, Patrologia Graeca, lxxxvi.; for the various questions connected with Leontius see F. Loops, Das Leben and See also:die polemischen Werke See also:des Leontios von Byzanz (See also:Leipzig, 1887) ; W. Rtigamer, Leontius von Byzanz (1894) ; V. Ermoni, De Leontio Byzantino (See also:Paris, 1895); C.

See also:

Krumbacher, Geschichte der byzantinischen Litteratur (1897); J. P. Junglas, Leontius von Byzanz (1908). For other persons of the name see See also:Fabricius, Bibliotheca Graeca (ed. Harles), viii. 323. See also:LEOPARD; PARD Or See also:PANTHER (Felis pardus), the largest spotted true See also:cat of the Old See also:World, with the exception of the See also:snow-leopard, which is, however, inferior in point of See also:size to the largest leopard. (See See also:CARNIVORA and SNOW-LEOPARD.) Leopards, known in See also:India as See also:cheeta (See also:chita), are characterized by the rosette-like See also:form of the See also:black spots on the greater See also:part of the See also:body, and the See also:absence of a central spot from each rosette. Towards the See also:head and on the limbs the spots tend to become solid, but there is See also:great See also:local variation in regard to their form and arrangement. In the See also:Indian leopard, the true Felis pardus, the spots are large and rosette-like, and the same is the See also:case with the See also:long-haired See also:Persian leopard (F. pardus tulliana). On the other See also:hand the heavily built and thick-haired Manchurian F. p. villosa has more consolidated spots. See also:African leopards, again, to one of which the name F. p. leopardus is applicable; show a decided tendency to a breaking-up of the spots; See also:West African animals being much darker-coloured than those from the See also:east See also:side of the See also:continent.

Both as regards structure and habits, the leopard may be reckoned as one of the more typical representatives of the genus Felis, belonging to that See also:

section in which the hyoid See also:bone is loosely connected with the See also:skull, owing to imperfect ossification of its anterior See also:arch, and the See also:pupil of the See also:eye when contracted under the See also:influence of See also:light is circular, not linear as in the smaller See also:cats. The size of leopards varies greatly, the head and body usually measuring from 3z to 41 ft. in length, and the tail from 22 to 3 ft., but some specimens exceed these limits, while the Somali leopard (F. p. nanopardus) falls considerably See also:short of them. The ground-See also:colour of the See also:fur varies from a See also:pale fawn to a rufous See also:buff, graduating in the Indian See also:race into pure See also:white on the under-parts and inside of the limbs. Generally speaking, the spots on the under parts and limbs are See also:simple and blacker than those on the other parts of the body. The bases of the ears behind are black, the tips buff. The upper side of the tail is buff, spotted with broken rings like the back, its under See also:surface white with simple spots. The See also:hair of the cubs is longer than that of the adults, its ground-colour less See also:bright, and its spots less distinct. Perfectly black leopards, which in certain See also:lights show the characteristic markings on the fur, are not uncommon, and are examples of melanism, occurring as individual See also:variations, sometimes in one cub out of a See also:litter of which the See also:rest are normally coloured, and therefore not indicating a distinct race, much less a See also:species. These are met with chiefly in See also:southern See also:Asia; melanism among African leopards 1 The name (See also:Late See also:Lat. leopardus, Late Gr. ?soaap3os) was given by the ancients to an See also:animal supposed to have been a See also:cross between a See also:lion (Lat. See also:leo, Gr. Mw) and a pard (Gr. aa.pbos, Pers. pars) or panther. See also:Medieval heralds made no distinction in shape between a lion and a leopard, but marked the difference by See also:drawing the leopard showing the full See also:face (see See also:HERALDRY: § Beasts and Birds).-See also:LEOPARDI taking the form of an excessive breaking-up of the spots, which finally show a tendency to coalesce.

In habits the leopard resembles the other large cat-like animals, yielding to none in the ferocity of its disposition. It is exceedingly See also:

quick in its movements, but seizes its See also:prey by waiting in See also:ambush or stealthily approaching to within springing distance, when it suddenly rushes upon it and tears it to ground with its The Leopard (Felis pardus). powerful claws and See also:teeth. It preys upon almost any animal it can overcome, such as antelopes, See also:deer, See also:sheep, goats, monkeys, peafowl, and has a special liking for See also:dogs. It not unfrequently attacks human beings in India, chiefly See also:children and old See also:women, but instances have been known of a leopard becoming a See also:regular " See also:man-eater." When favourable opportunities occur, it often kills many more victims than it can devour at once, either to gratify its propensity for killing or for the See also:sake of their fresh See also:blood. It generally inhabits woody districts, and can climb trees with facility when hunted, but usually lives on or near the ground, among rocks, bushes and roots and See also:low branches of large trees. The See also:geographical range of the leopard embraces practically all See also:Africa, and Asia from See also:Palestine to See also:China and See also:Manchuria, inclusive of See also:Ceylon and the great See also:Malay Islands as far as See also:Java. Fossil bones and teeth, indistinguishable from those of existing leopards, have been found in See also:cave-deposits of See also:Pleistocene See also:age in See also:Spain, See also:France, See also:Germany and See also:England. (R. L.*; W. H.

End of Article: LEONTIUS

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