330 MR. G. BLAINE 0.\ THE ZEBRAS 



Equus hartmann^ Matsoh. 



Eqtuis hartmannce Matschie Sitzber. Ges. Nat. Freunde, 1898, 

 p. 174. 



Uquus peuricsi Thos. A. M. N. H. ser. 7, vol. vi. p. 465 (1900). 



Most characteristic of this land of stones is this big Mountain 

 Zebra, a fair cousin of the true Zebra of the Cape, now almost 

 extinct. 



Orio-inally described by Matschie from Huanib and Uniab on 

 the coast N. of Waliisch Bay, and later by Thomas fiom a speci- 

 men presented Ijy Mr. G. W. Penrice from the Moninha River 

 N.E. of Mossamedes, there can be little doubt that the two are 

 one and the same animal. My specimens were collected near the 

 coast at Elephant Bay, 100 miles N. of Mossamedes, and corre- 

 spond accurately with Matschie's original description. 



Habitat. 



The home of this Zebra- appears to be in the coastal belt of 

 8. W. Africa where the country is rocky and precipitous. I have 

 seen the spoor on the wet sand of the sea-shore at low tide, and 

 have often watched them grazing on the low-lying flats and on 

 the plateau-like tops of the adjacent cliffs within a mile of the 

 sea. According to Mr. Tyler Thompson's observations, witii 

 which my own coincide, they do not penetrate further than 

 30 miles inland, and are strictly confined to the waterless desert 



Description. 



gl-ull. — A comparison of the skulls of zebra with hartmannce 

 shows slight differences only, the latter being more massive. 



Zebra shows modifications of the frontal aspect between and 

 below the orbits. There is a depression along the naso-frontal 

 suture. The nasals also are depressed centrally, and the maxillae 

 are compressed laterally above the infra-orbital foramen. 



Hartmannoi has the frontal profile straight, the nasals straight, 

 and no lateral compression of the maxillae in the region of the 

 nasals. 



In zebra in the flesh, the profile is dished or dented in between 

 the rather prominent field of the forehead and the muzzle, as is 

 seen in an Arab horse. 



In hartmannce the whole profile is flat with a descending 

 muzzle, giving the head a Roman-nosed appearance. 



There is also noticeable at the anterior end of the malar, near 

 its junction with the maxilla, on the inferior surface of the malar- 

 maxillary ridge and in line with the last molar, a roughened bony 

 spur. This is not noticeable either in zebra, quagga, or grevyi, 

 and has probably been developed for the attachment of a more 

 powerful muscle to meet some special requirement of mastication. 



fSkin. — Direction of hair as in zebra,. Resembles zebra in colour- 

 pattern, except that the relative areas occupied by dark stripe and 



