THE QUAGGA. 63 



Orange Free State, appears never to liave been met with north 

 of the Vaal river. Its actual habitat may be precisely defined 

 as within Cape Colony, the Orange Free State, and part of 

 Griqualand West. I do not find that it ever extended to 

 Namaqu aland and the Kalahari Desert to the west, or beyond 

 the Kei river, the ancient eastern limit of Cape Colony to the 

 east. In many countries, and in Southern Africa in particular, 

 nothing is more singular than the freaks of geographical 

 distribution of animals. A river or a desert, or a httle belt of 

 sand or timber, none of which, of themselves, could naturally 

 oppose a complete obstacle to the animal's range, is yet found 

 limiting thus arbitrarily the habitat of a species." 



Like BurchelFs zebra, the quagga was more equine than 

 asinine in character; but it wanted the callosity on the 

 inner side of the hind leg below the hock which is charac- 

 teristic of the horse. The quagga was marked on the head 

 and neck and front of the body with dark brown stripes on 

 a light reddish-brown ground. These stripes gradually 

 faded away behind the shoulder, and were absent from the 

 hind quarters. There was a broad dark stripe down the 

 centre of the back ; the under-surf ace of the body, legs, and 

 tail were nearly white. The stripes on the neck ran up into 

 the mane, which was banded alternately with white and 

 brown. The crest was high, the ears short, the tail fairly 

 covered with hair, so that the animal altogether was much 

 more closely allied in appearance to the horse than to the 

 ass. The extermination of this animal is greatly to be 

 regretted ; it is most lamentable to know that this species, 

 which might have become a most useful domestic quadruped, 

 admirably fitted for the requirements of the inhabitants of 

 the country of which it was a native, should have been 

 shot down by the colonists merely for the sake of its hide ; 

 and it is sincerely to be hoped that its congener, BurchelFs 

 zebra, which is still in large herds to the north of the 



