204 THE HORSE AND ITS RELATIVES 



of animals may, it has been suggested, be of mutual 

 advantage to each ; for ostriches, by reason of their 

 tall stature and elevated heads, would be enabled to 

 detect the advance of an enemy by sight long 

 before it was visible to the other members of the 

 trio, while the latter would be warned by scent 

 much sooner than the ostriches. When the 

 members of one of the species started to run, the 

 others would be pretty sure to follow suit. The 

 quagga was reputed to be possessed of great 

 courage, and at the time of its abundance is stated 

 to have been kept on the Boer farms in Cape 

 Colony for the purpose of driving off hyaenas and 

 wild dogs. 



Both quaggas and bontequaggas have been 

 broken to harness and driven ; but the latter, at 

 any rate, have been said to be deficient in staying 

 power. On the other hand, in the issue of the 

 Agricultural J ou7'nal oi the Union of South Africa 

 for August 191 1 it is stated that in Zululand the 

 evidence afforded by a team of eight bontequaggas, or 

 zebras, as they are called in the report, leads to the 

 conclusion that these animals are of great value 

 for transport purposes on account of their immunity 

 to disease. "They respond quickly to the whip 

 when pulling, they are not given to plunging, but 

 crouch down and pull steadily ; they keep their 

 condition without corn-feeding, and they appear 

 more intelligent than mules or donkeys. Against 



