RARE AND UNFAMILIAR ANIMALS 293 



"The one point in which Prejevalski's Horse differs markedly 

 from most other known Equidae, and to which those naturalists 

 anxious to raise it to specific rank attach great importance, is in the 

 tail, which although long and coarse like the tails of all common 

 Horses, is singular in that it is sparsely covered with short hair 

 near the root. In ordinary Horses the hair growing on the upper 

 part of the dock reaches a considerable length — down to about the 

 hocks, in fact; in the Wild Horse long hairs only grow from the 

 lower half of the dock, so that if the animals were docked short 

 there would be very little hair on the remaining bone at all." 



BONTEBOK. — This animal (Fig. 229) is now extinct in a wild 

 state, and we owe its preservation to one or two privately owned 

 herds. It is — or rather was — a South African Antelope, closely 

 related to the Blessbok, the Bontebok being distinguished by the 

 white marking on the face being continued as far as the base of the 

 horns, and also by the patch of white on the buttocks and the white 

 legs. The Bontebok is the larger animal of the two, attaining a 

 height of from three to four feet at the withers. Both the species 

 referred to are at once recognized by the rich purple-red of the 

 coat, and the white marking, or blaze, as it is called, on the face, 

 and in days gone by these beasts must have presented a fine sight 

 to South Africans, although they are wary creatures and difficult 

 to approach. As showing the effect produced by a sight of them, 

 and the numbers that existed at one time on the great African 

 Continent, one writer states that "on my right and left the plain 

 exhibited one purple mass of graceful Blessboks, which extended 

 without a break as far as my eye could strain. The depth of their 

 vast regions covered a breadth of about six hundred yards." 



AARD WOLF. — Another African animal is depicted in Fig. 230. 

 The Aard Wolf is somewhat of a puzzle to zoologists, for in some 

 instances we find that it is placed among the Hyaenas and in others 

 with the Civets. Strictly speaking, the best place for it to occupy 

 is between the two, the beast being relegated to a distinct family 

 known as the Proteleidce. 



The Aard, or Earth, Wolf measures about three feet six inches 

 in length, is yellowish-grey in colour, with prominent dark stripes 

 and a long, thickly-haired tail. As its name indicates, it is a burrow- 

 ing animal, indeed it is to be reckoned among the most remarkable 

 beasts who resort to an underground dwelling-place, several in- 

 dividuals occupying the same abode. It is nocturnal in its habits — 



