ZEBRAS AND THEIR CHARACTERISTICS 165 



them at two hundred and fifty yards' distance, and 

 then suddenly the stallion got our wind or espied us, 

 a wild neigh of alarm was given, and the troop, with 

 tails whisking, tore headlong over the mountain and 

 quickly disappeared. It was a gallant and never-to- 

 be-forgotten spectacle. I saw the same troop on a 

 subsequent occasion, but not to such advantage. 

 The mountain zebra is of strong and robust form, 

 furnished with short, sturdy limbs — clean, tough, and 

 wiry — and excellent feet. In general appearance, 

 and especially in its ears and tail, it is much more 

 asinine in type than either Burchell's zebra or the 

 quagga. In colouring and marking, too, it differs 

 widely from the others of the zebra group. The 

 body-colour is of a clean silvery white ; the markings 

 are black, or very dark brown, extending to every part 

 of the body except the belly, and are very differently 

 distributed. A glance at the Boycd Natural History, 

 which gives portraits of this and the other zebras, 

 will at once show the' wide variation in shape and 

 markings. The legs are perfectly and strongly banded 

 down even to the hoofs. The muzzle is of a handsome 

 tan colour, while the rest of the head — except the 

 ears, which are black and white — is striped in bright 

 brown instead of black. This zebra stands from 12 to 

 12|- hands in height, and is, from its strong and sturdy 

 build, manifestly adapted for getting about the rocky 

 mountain ranges it loves to frequent. Although, as 



