84 BIG GAME SHOOTING 



white, very handsomely banded with irregular mark- 

 ings of dark brown. This truly noble-looking beast 

 is more massive in form than the other wild asses, 

 and next to the zebras is, beyond all doubt, by far 

 the handsomest of the wild Equidae. 



The African wild asses of either species drink 

 always at night, returning to their grazing grounds 

 long before dawn. They may be shot, like other 

 animals, while drinking at their desert pools, if they 

 are known to be in the vicinity, but they are among 

 the most shy and wary of all animals. The average 

 North African pony is by no means equal to the 

 running down of either of these fleet and staying 

 animals, and the gunner, if he desires to secure a 

 specimen, must attain his object by stalking. The 

 Soudanese Arabs are well aware of the galloping 

 powers of the wild ass, and, if they wish to capture 

 specimens, they achieve their purpose by running 

 down the foals on fleet dromedaries. Occasionally a 

 troop of wild asses will stand within a hundred yards, 

 or even less, of the passing caravan, but these chances 

 are rare, and the sportsman will seldom find himself 

 able to approach within less distance than 250 or 300 

 yards. Like the zebras, the wild ass is not a difficult 

 beast to bring down with the rifle, having much less 

 tenacity of life than the antelopes ; and a well-planted 

 bullet behind the shoulder, or through the chest, if 

 the animal is facing the stalker, will achieve its 

 purpose. The 303, or Mannlicher, using expanding 

 bullets, is a very suitable weapon for this kind of 

 game. 



