Zebras. 83 



inclined to think that it was not specifically dis- 

 tinct from Equus zebra ; but, in June, 1890, Dr. 

 Sclater, at a meeting of the Zoological Society, 

 exhibited, and made some remarks on, the skin 

 of one of these animals which he had received 

 from Somali Land, when he said that he had 

 again examined the typical example of this 

 species, now mounted in the new gallery of the 

 Jardin des Plantes, and was still more confident 

 of its distinctness, as shown by the narrowness of 

 the black stripes, the difference of the markings, 

 and the white spaces on the forehead and on each 

 side of the dorsal stripe in the northern species. 

 Whether it is specifically distinct or not, to again 

 quote Sir W. H. Flower, "it is curious that the 

 most northern and the most southern of the dis- 

 tricts inhabited by zebras both contain identical 

 or closely-allied species, while the intermediate 

 territory is occupied by a wholly different form 

 Equus Burchelli." 



The rapidity with which the different zebras 

 have been exterminated, owing to the advance 

 of civilisation in South Africa, is shown by refer- 

 ence to such works as that of Sir Cornwallis 

 Harris, written in 1840, in which the author tells 

 us that the quagga was at that time found in 

 te interminable herds," bands of many hundreds 

 being frequently seen; while he describes Bur- 

 chell's zebra as congregating in herds of 80 or 

 100, and abounding to a great extent ; but, now 

 after the expiration of but fifty years, the one 

 G 2 



