4 THE PENYCUIK EXPERIMENTS. 



investigations are not limited to testing the influence of a 

 previous sire, but either directly or indirectly deal with 

 the development and ancestral history of the horse, with 

 reversion or atavism, and polydactylism, and with various 

 other problems of a more or less interesting nature, it 

 may be well to put on record now some of the events that 

 have happened since the work was started. 



The Birth of a Zebra Hybrid. — The most interesting 

 event I have to chronicle is the arrival of a hybrid 

 between my Burchell zebra stallion (Matopo) and the 

 West Highland pony (Mulatto). The hybrid, which, as 

 announced in the Field,'^ was born on the 12th of August, 

 appears to be the first cross obtained between an ordinary 

 mare and a Burchell's zebra stallion. Partly on this 

 account, and partly because zebra hybrids may help to 

 solve the transport difficulties in various parts of Africa, 

 and do something towards overcoming the aversion for 

 mules that has so long prevailed in England, a short 

 account of the new arrival may not be unacceptable. But 

 before speaking of the hybrid colt I ought to say a few 

 words as to his parents. There are still three zebras found 

 wild in Africa — two mountain zebras {E. zebra and E. grevyi) 

 and the zebra of the plains {E. bnrclielli). The sire (Fig. 1) 

 of the hybrid, which belongs to the Burchell group of 

 zebras, I obtained from the Antwerp Zoological Gardens. 



Mr. G. R. de Courcy-Perry, H.B.M.'s Consul-General at 

 Antwerp, to whom I am indebted for timely help at a 

 critical moment, reported that the directors of the gardens 

 considered their zebra stallion a superb animal; he is 

 certainly the most handsome specimen I have ever seen. 

 While in Antwerp " Matopo '' proved a successful sire, 

 but it was only found possible to mate him with zebras of 

 his own species. However, as a zebra long expected from 

 South Africa never arrived, and as the Antwerp one was 

 the only available mature male Burchell's zebra in Europe 

 at the time, I had either to secure him or give up the 

 experiments for another year. 



* The Field, August 22nd, 1896. 



