36 Mr. E. T. Pocock on the 



groups and stating in a general kind of way that Burchell's 

 zebra is an exceedingly variable species, the far more im- 

 portant objection may be alleged that it leads to an ignoring 

 of the variations as of no signiticance and to a total disregard 

 of the highly important but as yet unintelligible fact that in 

 a particular locality a particular form prevails. It is the 

 interpretation of this fact, the recollection of which is greatly 

 assisted by the judicious use of nomenclature, that with the 

 cooperation of the sportsman or collector should be the ultimate 

 object of the systematist. 



In the present paper seven such subspecies or local races 

 of Burchell's zebra have been recognized, two of them being 

 forms that have not previously been named. It must be 

 understood, however, that scarcity of properly localized 

 material renders some of the conclusions with regard to these 

 forms more or less tentative, and that skins of zebras of 

 different ages from all localities, wherewith to test the con- 

 stancy of markings, are indispensable for the satisfactory 

 settlement of the questions ; and now that the need for 

 practical evidence of this nature is known, it is hoped that 

 sportsmen will endeavour to obtain it before the advance of 

 civilization has either exterminated these beautiful animals or 

 placed them under the artificial conditions of preservation — a 

 contingency that is certain to follow if we may judge from 

 the fate that has befallen two formerly abundant South- 

 African species, namely the quagga and the so-called common 

 or mountain zebra. 



Paet II. — Descriptions of the Species. 



(I) Equus zehra, Linn. 



Equus zebra, Linnseus, Syst. Nat. ed. x. p. 74 (1758). 

 Equus mo7ita7ius, Burchell, Travels &c. i. p. 139 (1822). 



This species was originally based upon figures and descrip- 

 tions apparently representing three distinct species. Two of 

 these are from Edwards's ' Gleanings of Natural History,' v. 

 pis. ccxxii. and ccxxiii., the first of which is the form which 

 now bears the name, the second being the quagga, while the 

 others, though very inaccurate, appear to have been taken 

 from examples of one of the subspecies of Burchelli (see 

 Aldrovandi, Quadrup. i. p. 417, pi. viii., and Johnston, 

 Quadrup. pi. v. fig. 1). The specific name zebra, however, 

 has been definitely assigned to the species depicted on 

 pi. ccxxii. of Edwards's work, the said figure being drawn 

 from an example (the type) then preserved in the museum of 

 tbe College of Physicians, London. 



