CREATURES OF THE WILDERNESS 205 



presented to Queen Victoria by Menelik could 

 not have been less than ^1000. Of the domes- 

 tication of the zebra, which has never been very 

 successful, more is said in another chapter. 

 I know of one that was driven in a trap by 

 a lady living near Abergavenny, and a more 

 famous team was that belonging to Mr. Lionel 

 Rothschild ; but the zebra in harness is a prob- 

 lem that needs patience. Sportsmen shoot 

 zebras only, as a rule, when their camp boys 

 want meat, as the animal's flesh, though un- 

 appreciated by Europeans, is a delicacy to the 

 negro, who is also an admirer of crocodiles' 

 eggs and buzzards. Apart from this occasional 

 necessity, the zebra interests the sportsman 

 chiefly on account of its annoying habit of 

 galloping wildly round him when he is stalk- 

 ing better game and thereby giving the alarm 

 to all and sundry, spoiling many a good shot 

 by its eccentric behaviour. 



ANTELOPES 



The antelopes, which carry solid horns, are 

 regarded in the museum as furnishing a link 

 between the goats and oxen, and are, in fact, 

 related to both groups, a cousinship best 

 appreciated when we look at the gnu, or 

 wildebeest, which is much more like an ox 

 than an antelope. The variety and importance 



