BurchelPs Zebra 83 



and in parts of the country where they have not been much disturbed, and 

 are therefore unsuspicious of danger, they are very inquisitive. When 

 hunting to the north of the Pungwe River in 1892, in a part of the 

 country where I suppose the Burchell's zebras had never seen a man with 

 any clothes on, these animals often came to within 100 yards to have a good 

 look at me ; on one occasion a large herd came to within 50 yards, and 

 after I had sat down on the side of an ant-heap, stood there staring at me 

 for about half an hour, and only ran off when I at last got up and walked 

 towards them. I once watched a small herd of these zebras ap- 

 proaching my three horses, which were feeding about 200 yards away 

 from where my waggon was outspanned behind a cluster of trees and 

 bushes. They first came boldly up to within 50 yards of the horses, and 

 then stood looking at them for a long time. Then one, bolder than the 

 rest, commenced a cautious approach, closely followed by the rest. After 

 many halts they at last came to within 10 yards of the horses, which had 

 been all the time unconcernedly feeding, without paying any attention to 

 their visitors except now and again looking towards them. At last the 

 boldest of the zebras walked to within 3 or 4 yards of the nearest horse, 

 and, reaching out his nose, sniffed at him, and evidently not quite liking 

 the smell, jumped round with a start and trotted away a few yards, closely 

 followed by his companions. He soon, however, returned and sniffed at 

 the horse again, again springing away suddenly. This performance was 

 continued for more than an hour, when at last the zebras walked off in 

 the direction from whence they had come. I do not think that Burchell's 

 zebras are such savage animals as is usually supposed, since I have seen one 

 or two that were very quiet and well broken, whilst even the half-broken 

 animals, which were at one time used on the coach line between Pieters- 

 burg and Tuli, did not seem to me to be very vicious. That they can 

 both bite and kick I know, as I have often seen a wounded one bite the 

 shaft of an assegai, with which a Kafir was despatching it, and I once rode 



