NATIONAL ZOOLOGICAL PARK HOLLISTER 295 



THE HOBSE AND HIS KINDRED 



The Przewalski's horse {Equus prsewalskii) is the only living 

 species of truly wild horse. It inhabits the Gobi Desert region of 

 central Asia where living specimens were captured by an expedition 

 organized by Hagenbeck in 1900. The descendants of this stock are 

 now exhibited in zoological gardens in many parts of the world. In 

 his long shaggy winter coat this horse is a creature of striking ap- 

 pearance. On the outlying borders of the Gobi many of the horses 

 owned bj' the Kirghiz tribes are apparently mixed with the blood 

 of wild stock. 



The specimen of the common East African zebra (Equus quagga 

 granti) was brought from Nairobi, British East Africa, in 1909 by 

 Mr. A. B. Baker. He was then a young animal about 18 months old. 

 Zebras are found over much of southern and eastern Africa and in 

 certain localities are very abundant, living in great herds and ming- 

 ling freely with various species of antelopes and other game. They 

 are much preyed upon by the lion and are a favorite food of the 

 natives. 



Grevy's zebra (Equus grevyi), a considerably larger and more 

 closely striped species than the common zebra, is confined to the 

 more arid parts of northeastern Africa, especially Abyssinia, Somali- 

 iand, and northern British East Africa. It has a much longer and 

 narrower head than the common zebra and is a more handsome 

 animal. The male in the park weighs 880 pounds. The first speci- 

 men to reach the park was presented to President Roosevelt by 

 Emperor Menelik of Abyssinia in 1904. 



THE RHINOCEROS 



Of the five existing species of rhinoceros, three are confined to 

 southern Asia, including some of the larger islands, and two to 

 Africa. The black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis) , which is the spe- 

 cies on exhibition in the park, is found in Ethiopian Africa. The 

 young example shown came from Rhodesia in 1923, and was then 

 about 1 year old. The horns of rhinoceroses are not comparable to 

 the horns of deer, sheep, and other ruminants, but are outgrowths 

 of the skin anld are not definitely connected with the bones of the 

 skull. Rhinoceroses grow to great size ; a specimen of the black spe- 

 cies shot in Africa by Roosevelt measured 12 feet 3 inches in length 

 of head and body, with the tail 30 inches long. The white rhinoceros 

 of Africa and one of the Indian species are known to exceed these 

 measurements. 



THE HIPPOPOTAMUS 



Remains of fossil hippopotamuses are found in various parts of 

 Asia and Europe, even in England, but the existing species are 



