ZEBRAS 41 



to be at all vicious always runs at the intruder with his 

 mouth open, or teeth bared. The cry of the Burchell 

 zebra is a shrill " wa-wa-wa," repeated several times. 

 They are rather noisy animals when assembled near the 

 drinking-places, and their call is one of the commonest 

 night sounds in a game country. They are very liable to 

 panic and stampedes, and their custom, when frightened, 

 of dashing through wire fences and other artificial 

 obstacles forms, in East Africa, one of the principal 

 causes of complaint against them. 



Once when the writer was following the tracks of some 

 lions, a small troop of zebras, a little distance in front, 

 caught sight of the cats at close quarters, though they 

 were invisible to us, and the sudden headlong rush they 

 made was a thing to -remember. Conduct of another 

 kind was observed by one of the rangers a few years 

 ago. As he was riding along the bank of the Olifants 

 River he suddenly heard zebras making a great noise just 

 in front, and, coming into a clearing, he found that three 

 lions had just pulled down a mare, but had not yet killed 

 her. The rest of the troop were standing some twenty 

 paces from the lions, facing them in a semicircle, very 

 excited and making a great noise, but showing no dis- 

 position to bolt ; the foal was intermediate between its 

 dam and the herd. On the ranger firing at one of the 

 lions the zebras at once stampeded, but the young animal 

 waited about for its mother, which, though badly clawed, 

 was able to get up and make off also. 



Another ranger came on a lion and two lionesses 

 taking their midday siesta within a hundred yards of a 

 troop of zebras. Neither party was taking the least 

 notice of the other, so far as he could judge. One lion 

 was lying on its back, with all four legs in the air, like a 

 cat before the fire, while the zebras were standing about 



