430 



ON THE SKULL AXD MARKINGS OF THE QUAGGA. [Mar. 15, 



the same general colour as the unstriped hind-quartei-s. This type 

 of colouring is very conspicuous in the Quagga in the Amsterdam 

 Museum (text-fig. 86) *. 



From the occurrence of these white stripes Mr. Pocock and 

 myself have been induced to regard all the mounted specimens of 

 the Quagga now remaining, together with the one represented in 

 York's photograph, as racially distinct from the Quaggas figured 

 by the older writers. This, if true, would certainly be a very 

 remarkable circumstance ; and I have now come to the conckision 

 that it is not supported by the evidence. 



Text-fig. 86. 



Quagga ill the Anistenlam Museum. 



I now believe, in fact, that the difl[erence between the coloration 

 of the stufied Quaggas and the figures taken from living animals 

 or fresh skins is entirely due to fading. On the head, neck, and 

 fore- quarters the original blackish-brown stripes have faded to a 

 brownish fawn similar to that of the hind -quarters ; while the 

 fawn intervals between the black stripes have bleached to white. 

 The result of this is to produce a type of coloration quite distinct 



* Mr. G. Reusliaw ('Zoologist,' 1901, p. 48) has stated that the Amsterdam 

 Quagga is one of the Knowslej' specimens painted bj' Waterhouse Hawkins. This, 

 liowever, is denied b^' Dr. C. Kerbert, Director of ' Natura Artis Magistra,' who 

 wrote to me as follows : — " I beg to state that the Quagga bought bj- our Society at 

 Lord Derby's sale, received Oct. 31st, 1851, died on January 2nd, 1853. The 

 mounted specimen in our Museum was an animal bought May 9th, 1867, which died 

 on the 12th of August, 1883." 



