THE ASSES AND ZEBRAS 87 



protected, and can only be shot by a permit from the 

 Governor a permit seldom if ever granted. It is 

 possible that mountain zebras may yet be discovered 

 in other less known parts of South Africa. A few 

 years since Mr. G. W. Penrice came upon a new 

 sub-species in the country behind Mossamedes, 

 Portuguese West Africa, and procured specimens. 

 This animal, now known as Penrice 's zebra, has 

 distinct affinities with the true mountain zebra, 

 and although the dark markings are narrower and 

 the white wider, and other slight distinctions exist, 

 it is, I think, to be looked upon as a local race of the 

 true zebra. Curiously enough, these zebras are not, 

 in this part of Africa, found on the high mountains 

 as in Cape Colony. They frequent, by preference, 

 sometimes the maritime plains, close to the sea, at 

 others the rough, kopje-strewn, grassy country, 

 which lies between these plains and the Chella Range. 

 These zebras are to be found in good numbers, and 

 as at present very little is known about them, except 

 from my friend Mr. Penrice's description, it would 

 be no mere superflous butchery if some sportsman, 

 hunting in this part of South- West Africa, were to 

 stalk and shoot a few good specimens and send the 

 skins home for various museums. Hitherto only 

 one example, that sent by Mr. Penrice, which is now 

 in the Natural History Museum, has reached Europe. 

 The Coroca river, east of Port Alexander, and the 

 country behind Mossamedes are the localities where, 

 hitherto, this zebra has been found. These animals 

 were not difficult to approach, and six of them 



