APPENDIX E 561 



obliterative effect, insisting that, owing to the obliterative coloration, zebras 

 continually escape observation in the country in which they live. He con- 

 tinues: "Furthermore, all beasts must have water, and so the zebras of 

 the dry plains must needs make frequent visits to the nearest living sloughs 

 and rivers. There, by the water's edge, tall reeds and grasses almost 

 always flourish, and there, where all beasts meet to drink, is the great place 

 of danger for the ruminants, and all on whom the lion preys. In the 

 open land they can often detect their enemy afar off, and depend on 

 their fleetness for escape; but when they are down in the river-bed, among 

 the reeds, he may approach unseen and leap among them without warn- 

 ing. It is probably at these drinking-places that the zebra's pattern is 

 most beneficently potent. From far or near the watching eye of the 

 hunter (bestial or human) is likely to see nothing, or nothing but reed- 

 stripes, where it might otherwise detect the contour of a zebra." In a 

 foot-note he adds that however largely lions and other rapacious mammals 

 hunt by scent, it is only sight that serves them when they are down wind 

 of their quarry; and that sight alone must guide their ultimate killing 

 dash and spring. 



Now this theory of Mr. Thayer's about the benefit of the zebra's 

 coloration at drinking-places, as a shield against foes, lacks even the slight- 

 est foundation in fact; for it is self-evident that animals when they come 

 down to drink necessarily move. The moment that any animal the size 

 of a zebra moves, it at once becomes visible to the eye of its human or 

 bestial foes, unless it skulks in the most cautious manner. The zebra 

 never skulks, and, like most of the plains game, it never, at least when 

 adult, seeks to escape observation indeed in the case of the zebra (un- 

 like what is true of the antelope) I am not sure that even the young 

 seek to escape observation. I have many times watched zebras and 

 antelopes wildebeest, hartebeest, gazelle, waterbuck, kob coming down 

 to water; their conduct was substantially similar. The zebras, for 

 instance, made no effort whatever to escape observation; they usually 

 went to some drinking- place as clear of reeds as possible; but sometimes 

 they were forced to come down to drink where there was rather thick 

 cover, in which case they always seemed more nervous, more on the 

 alert, and quicker in their movements. They came down in herds, and 

 they would usually move forward by fits and starts; that is, travel a 

 few hundred yards, and then stop and stand motionless for some time, 

 looking around. They were always very conspicuous, and it was quite 

 impossible for any watcher to fail to make them out. As they came nearer 

 to the water, they seemed to grow more cautious. They would move 

 forward some distance, halt, perhaps wheel and dash off for a hundred 

 yards, and then after a little while return. As they got near the water 

 they would again wait, and then march boldly down to drink except 

 in one case where, after numerous false starts, they finally seemed to 

 suspect that there was something in the neighborhood, and went off for 

 good without drinking. Never in any case did I see a zebra come down 

 to drink under conditions which would have rendered it possible for the 



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