CHAPTER VI. 

 THE ZEBRAS. 



THE ZEBRAS OR TIGER-HORSES — THE QUAGGA — THE DALIW, OR BURCHELL'S ZEBRA — HARRIS'S 

 DESCRIPTION OF IT — THE ZEBRA PROPER — HUNTING THE ZEBRA — CROSS-BREEDS— THE MLLE — 

 THE HINNV — INSTANCES OF THEIR FERTILITY — DARWINISM. 



^^M ^ 1 1 E three species which we are now about to describe are 

 I natives of Africa. They equal tiie Asiatic Wild Asses in speed 

 _."_ and beauty of lorm, but far suipass them in richness of color 

 and boldness of marking. As they are all distinguished more or less by 

 tiger-like stripes, they have been formed by some writers into a genus 

 named Hippotigris, or " Tiger-horse." The I-ioman emperor CaracalUr 

 in the year 211 A. u., is described as sla} i.ig with his own luunl, in the 

 circus, an elephant, a rhinoceros, and a tiger-horse. 



The Zebras, or Tiger-horses, are all characterized by a compact 

 body, powerful neck, a head intermediate between that of the horse and 

 the ass, rather long ears, an upright mane, which is not so tliick as that 

 of the horse, and a tail with long hair at the end. They all have the coat 

 marked with bright colored stripes. The south of Africa is their birth- 

 place, although one species probably is found north of the equator. 



THE QUAGGA. 



The OuAGGA, Eqiius Qiiagga (Plate XXXIII), resembles the horse 

 more tlian the ass in figure. The body is well made, the head graceful 

 and moderate in size, the ears short, the legs powerful. A short mane 

 rises along liie wliok- neck, the fail is covered with Jiair trom the root, 

 but the hairs are much shorter than in the horse. The ground color of 

 the head, back, and loins is brown, the belly and haiis of the tail white. 

 Grayish-white stripes appear on tlie head, neck, and shoulders. On the 

 face these marks are close together, and run Ironi the lorelicad to the 

 muzzle; en the shoulders they run transversely, and are placed wider 



