CHAPTER XII. 



THE HORSE TRIBE. 



ZEBRAS AND WILD ASSES. 



BY F. C. SELOUS. 



1 



ZEBRAS. 



THE ZEBRAS have many points in common with the asses, from which latter group of 

 animals they are principally distinguished by their beautifully striped skins. Both 

 asses and zebras carry 

 short, erect manes, and in both the 

 upper portion of the tail is free from 

 long hair. In both groups there are 

 naked callosities on the fore legs only, 

 whilst the head is larger in propor- 

 tion to the size of the animal, and 

 the ears longer than in the horse. In 

 BURCHELL'S and GREVY'S ZEBRAS the 

 hoof is intermediate between that of 

 the horse and the ass ; for altho.ugh 

 narrower than the hoof of the horse, it 

 is broader and more rounded than that 

 of the ass. In the TRUE ZEBRA, how- 

 ever, the hoof is thoroughly asinine 

 in character, and the ears very long. 

 The TRUE or MOUNTAIN ZEBRA 

 appears never to have had a very 

 extended range. It was once an 

 inhabitant of all the mountainous 

 regions of the Cape Colony as well 

 as of the great Drakensberg Range, 

 and fifty years ago was also found 

 amongst the rugged hills of Great 

 Namaqualand. The mountain-zebra 

 is the smallest of the group, standing 

 only from 12 to 12^ hands at the 

 shoulder. It is a most beautiful 

 animal, the whole of the head, body, 

 and limbs, with the exception of the 

 under-parts and the insides of the MOUNTAIN-ZEBRA 



The true or mountain zebra is now becoming scarcer than formerly. At one time it 

 was to be seen in great numbers on tbe mountains of Cape Colony 

 189 



ptut , bf G . 



thighs, being striped. The ground- 

 colour of the body is white, the stripes 



