228 



A HISTORY OF 



female, white and black. These colours are 

 disposed in alternate stripes over the whole 

 body, and with such exactness and symmetry, 

 that one would think Nature had employed 

 the rule and compass to paint them. These 

 stripes, which, like so many ribbands, are 

 laid all over its body, are narrow, parallel, 

 and exactly separated from each other. It is 

 not here as in other party-coloured animals, 

 where the tints are blended into each other; 

 every stripe here is perfectly distinct, and pre- 

 serves its colour round the body, or the limb, 

 without any diminution. In this manner are 

 the head, the body, the thighs, the legs, and 

 even the tail and the ears, beautifully streak- 

 ed, so that at a little distance owe would be 

 apt t> suppose that the animal was dressed 

 out by art, and not thus admirably adorned 

 by nature. 



In the male zebra, the head is striped with 

 fine bands of black and white, which in a man- 

 ner centre in the forehead. The ears are va- 

 riegated with a white and dusky brown. The 

 neck has broad stripes of the same dark brown 

 running round it, leaving narrow white stripes 

 between. The body is striped also across the 

 back with broad bands, leaving narrower 

 spaces of white between them, and ending in 

 points at the sides of the belly, which is w hite, 

 except a black line pectinated on each side, 

 reaching from between the fore-legs, along the 

 middle of the belly, two-thirds of its length. 

 There is a line of separation between the 

 trunk of the body and the hinder quarters, 

 on each side ; behind which, on the rump, 

 is a plat of narrow stripes, joined together by 

 a stripe down the middle, to the end of the 

 tail. The colours are different in the female ; 

 and in none the stripes seem entirely to agree 

 in form, but in all they are equally distinct; 

 the hair equally smooth and fine ; the white 

 shining and unmixed; and the black,or brown, 

 thick and lustrous. 



Such is the beauty of this creature, that it 

 seems by nature fitted to satisfy the pride and 

 the pleasure of man ; and formed to be taken 

 into his service. Hitherto, however, it ap- 

 pears to have disdained servitude, and neither 

 force nor kindness have been able to wean it 

 from its native independence and ferocity. 

 But this wildness might, perhaps, in time be 

 surmounted : and it is probable, the horse and 



| the ass, when first taken from the forest, were 

 equally obstinate, fierce, and unmanageable. 

 Mr. BufFon informs us that the zebra, from 

 which he took his description, could never be 

 entirely mastered, notwithstanding all the ef- 

 forts which were tried to tame it. They con- 

 tinued, indeed, to mount it, but then with such 

 precautions as evidently showed its fierceness; 

 for two men were obliged to hold the reins, 

 while the third ventured upon its back ; and 

 even then it attempted to kick whenever it 

 perceived any person approaching. That 

 which is now in the Queen's menagerie, at 

 Buckingham-Gate, is even more vicious than 

 the former; and the keeper who shows it, 

 takes care to inform the spectators of its un- 

 governable nature. Upon my attempting to 

 approach it, it seemed quite terrified, and was 

 preparing to kick, appearing as wild as if just 

 caught, although taken extremely young, and 

 used with the utmost indulgence. Yet still it 

 is most probable that this animal, by time and 

 assiduity, could be brought under subjection. 

 As it resembles the horse in form, without all 

 doubt it has a similitude of nature, and only 

 requires the efforts of an industrious and skil- 

 ful nation, to be added to the number of our 

 domestics. It is not now known what were 

 the pains and dangers which were first under- 

 gone to reclaim the breed of horses from sa- 

 vage ferocity ; these, no doubt, made an equal 

 opposition; but, by being opposed by an in- 

 dustrious and enterprising race of mankind, 

 their spirit was at last subdued, and their free- 

 dom restrained. It is otherwise with regard 

 to the zebra ; it is the native of countries 

 where the human inhabitants are but little 

 raised above the quadruped. The natives of 

 Angola, or Caffraria, have no other idea of 

 advantage from horses but as they are good 

 for food ; neither the fine stature of the Ara- 

 bian courser, nor the delicate colourings of 

 the zebra, have any allurements to a race of 

 people, who only consider the quantity of 

 flesh, and not its conformation. The delicacy 

 of the zebra's shape, or the painted elegance 

 of its form, are no more regarded by such, 

 than by the lion that makes it his prey. For 

 this reason, therefore, the zebra may hi- 

 therto have continued wild, because it is the 

 native of a country where there have been no 

 successive efforts made to reclaim it. All 



