56 BUBCHELL'S ZEBRA. 



** The intention is to buy more and run them regularly in 

 the up-country coaches from and to Mashon aland, and this 

 will not be done as a useless experiment_, but with a 

 practical object, and if it succeeds, as Mr. Zeedesberg 

 believes, it will be the means of saving them hundreds of 

 pounds, which they now lose annually through horse 

 sickness. Later on attempts will be made to cross them 

 with the horse, with the object of getting a larger and 

 handsomer mule than the ordinary cross with the donkey, 

 and probably superior in every way. 



"It will be interesting to watch the progress of these 

 experiments, which may bring about a new and important 

 industry, for if the cross between the zebra and the 

 horse can be brought about without difficulty, it will 

 not be long before these animals will be preferred to 

 ordinary mules, numbers of which are shipped out here 

 from Monte Video, while those who are interested in 

 natural history will only be too pleased at the chance of 

 adding the zebra to the list of our few domesticated 

 animals. ^^ 



In reference to this interesting letter, Capt. M. H. Hayes 

 writes : " The zebra referred to by Mr. Harold Stephens is 

 the Equus burchellii, a very easy animal to tame. At the 

 Agricultural Show which was held at Pretoria, April, 1892, 

 I broke in a BurchelFs zebra, which belonged to Mr. 

 Ziervogel, quiet to ride after about half an hour's handling, 

 without having to throw him down, tie him head to tail, or to 

 resort to any of the other heroic methods of the horse-tamer. 

 Equus zebra is of quite a different temper, and is an 

 extremely difficult animal to subdue. I look forward to 

 the Burcheirs zebra becoming a very useful domestic 

 animal; but the conformation of Equus zebra is not suited 

 to civilised requirements."'^ And in his valuable work, 



