iso THE MAMMALS OF ETHIOPIAN AFRICA 



an African species, and is represented by three wild races in the north-eastern 

 districts of the continent. From the so-called wild asses of Asia, which are more 

 nearly akin to the horse, the African wild asses, in common with their domesti- 

 cated descendants, differ by their much larger ears, and the approximate equality in 

 size of the fore and hind hoofs. Of the three wild races, the one inhabiting the 

 northern coast of Somaliland, and scientifically known as E. a. somaliensis, is of 

 a mouse-grey colour, white below, with a darker head, and also white on the 

 muzzle and the inner sides of the legs, which are marked with transverse dark 

 bars. The Abyssinian E. a. tceniopus combines with these leg-bars well-developed 

 dorsal and shoulder stripes ; while the Nubian E. a. africanus is distinguished by 

 a dark shoulder-stripe, which is either totally absent or but very indistinctly visible 

 in the Somali race, and also by a blackish stripe along the back. In colour it is 

 clear French grey in summer, with the muzzle, under-parts, and both sides of 

 the lower portion of the legs white, and, at most, but very faintly barred. In spite 

 of the scanty food afforded by their desert-home, these fine animals, which 

 stand about 4 feet at the shoulder, are always in the pink of condition, and 

 are possessed of such speed that the Arabs, on their fleetest dromedaries, are 

 unable to run down the foals. Domesticated asses differ from all the foregoing 

 wild races by the legs being coloured like the body, instead of being much lighter, 

 as well as by the ear having a dark patch at the base, and a black tip. 



Zebras and Quite peculiar to Africa are the striped equines known as zebras 



Quaggas. a nd quaggas, of which there are several distinct species. Of these 

 the typical, or mountain, zebra (E. zebra) is the one coming nearest to the wild ass, 

 with which it agrees in its relatively large ears and general shape. The most easily 

 recognised characters of this animal are the gridiron-like pattern formed by the 

 stripes on the rump immediately above the root of the tail, and the circumstance that 

 the transverse body-stripes are not continued across the under surface to join the 

 longitudinal ventral stripe. The legs are" striped right down ' to the hoofs, and 

 there are no paler stripes on the white intervals-between the body-stripes. The 

 zebra, which stands about 48 inches at the shoulder, is essentially a mountain 

 animal, and displays marvellous activity in getting over rough and precipitous 

 ground. Formerly found on all the mountain-ranges of Cape Colony, it is now 

 restricted in this part of Africa to the Cradock district, where it is under govern- 

 ment protection ; but it is represented by a local race in the mountains of German 

 East Africa. To the Boers the zebra is known as the wilde-paard, and gives its 

 name to Paardeberg. 



A second group is formed by the now extinct quagga (E. quagga) of South 

 Africa, and the widely spread and variable bonte-quagga, or Burchell's zebra 

 (E. burchelli), which are closely connected. In neither of these species is there a 

 large and distinct gridiron-pattern on the rump, while in the more northern and 

 fully striped races of the latter the body-stripes usually extend right round the 

 body to join the ventral stripe, and the ears are smaller than in the zebra. The 

 legs may be either white or striped to the hoofs, and pale " shadow-stripes " are 

 frequently developed between the dark body-stripes. The quagga, in which the 

 striping is restricted to the head, neck, and fore-quarters, formerly abounded 

 on the plains to the south of the Vaal River and west of the Kei, its range 



