PACHYDERM ATA. 171 



the horse and the ass, and in disposition extremely wild and un- 

 tamable. Its limbs are finely proportioned, showing the lightness 

 and elegance of the stag, combined with the power of great mus- 

 cular exertion. It runs with great rapidity, carrying its head 

 erect, snuffing up the wind and defying the speed of the fleetest 

 coursers. Sir R. Ker Porter gives an amusing account of an 

 unsuccessful chase of one of these animals, which he was un- 

 able to overtake, though mounted on a very swift Arabian horse. 

 This roamer in the "wilderness " and " barren land," lives in 

 troops, like the wild horse, being guided by a leader or chief, on 

 which the movements of the rest depend. The flesh is esteemed 

 a delicacy by the Mongols, who occasionally manage to shoot 

 the leader and thus throw the troop into confusion, so that several 

 fall before they take their flight. The fur is short, smooth, and of a 

 bright red bay, the legs of a straw color. The males are the more 

 deeply colored and larger, often standing 14 hands high. These 

 animals live partly on the plains and partly on the mountains, 

 and from this fact perhaps, the lower surface of the hoof shows 

 considerable variation in form and concavity. They are found 

 in a climate where the temperature is below the freezing point 

 in the middle of summer, yet they throw off their pale woolly 

 coat during that season and become bright bay. 



Equus montanus, (or Asinus Zebra.) The ZEBRA. 



This species is native to Africa, confined to the mountains, for 

 traversing which their hoofs are expressly formed. The ground 

 color is white, with black bands on the head, body and legs to the 

 hoofs , the nose is reddish ; the belly and inside of the thighs 

 not banded ; the end of the tail is blackish ; the hoofs narrow 

 and deeply concave beneath. The Zebra has scarcely ever 

 been fl V'-ught under the bit. Sometimes, however, in spite 

 of i'?~^.5ious habits, it has been trained to draw a Carriage. 

 It is fierce and strong and universally admired for its fleetness 

 and beauty. The voice of the Zebra is very peculiar and can- 

 not be described. We have said above that the ground color is 

 white ; this is true of the female, but in the male the ground 

 color is yellowish fawn. It is often a prey to the lion, and also 

 to the untutored natives, by whom its flesh is regarded as a great 

 delicacy. 



The Equus BurcheHi, or the PEECHI, is a native of the plains, 

 inhabiting, in small companies, the flat country lying north of the 

 Cape of Good Hope and stretching into the interior. This is a 

 strong, muscular animal, and might be used as a beast of bur- 

 den. The head, neck, shoulders and back are covered with al- 

 ternate stripes of white and black ; the nose is white, with faint 



8 



