206 THE HORSE AND ITS RELATIVES 



the body into two distinct areas ; the stripes on the 

 front half taking a more or less nearly vertical 

 direction, while those on the quarters display a 

 general longitudinal trend. The optical effect of 

 this is to divide the animal into two distinct objects 

 when viewed from a certain distance, so that the 

 complete horse-outline becomes more or less com- 

 pletely obscured and obliterated. This effect is 

 enhanced by the stripes at the base of the neck 

 being wider than those on the shoulder, to which 

 they are inclined at an angle when the head is 

 carried in the usual pose. A further effect in 

 breaking up the outline of the animal is produced 

 by the circumstance that the stripes on the face 

 are narrower than those on the neck and likewise 

 somewhat different in direction, and also by the 

 transverse direction of the bars on the legs. The 

 head and body of a bontequagga are thus broken 

 up by the nature and direction of the stripes into 

 four more or less distinct and separate areas, 

 namely the head, the neck, and the fore and the 

 hind parts of the trunk. At a distance less than 

 that at which the whole of the stripes melt into a 

 confused grey blur, the general effect is to render 

 the animal much less conspicuous than would be 

 the case if the stripes were of the same width 

 throughout, and took the same direction on all 

 parts of the skin. 



There is yet another point in connection with 



