100 THE ZEBRA 



need. These are carefully rolled up at the time 

 for conveyance to their homes, where, long after- 

 wards, they are usually found in some out- 

 building riddled by insects and worms, and en- 

 tirely useless for any purpose. 



Lions also destroy large numbers of zebras, to 

 which they are extremely partial. I have on 

 many occasions passed the remains of one of 

 these animals, which, in spite of the sign of other 

 carnivora, were obviously a lion's kill ; in fact, it 

 may be taken as a good general rule, as it may also 

 in the case of buffaloes, that the presence of large 

 numbers of zebras almost certainly indicates that 

 of lions also. 



With all their beauty of form and colour, 

 however, and in spite of their great tractability, 

 it cannot be said that the presence of these wild 

 equines in the vicinity of extensive cultivation is 

 in any sense an unmixed blessing. They have 

 playful, if embarrassing, habits of stampeding 

 mules and donkeys ; whilst the presence of fences 

 appears literally to invite them. At times, even 

 when tamed and broken, they seem to be afflicted 

 with uncontrollable transports of bad temper, 

 when they are apt viciously to attack each other 

 with hoof and teeth, and not seldom their 

 attendants. Still I have little doubt that when 

 by observation and experiment the question of 

 discovering a satisfactory hybrid shall have been 

 solved, we shall have gone far also in the direction 

 of solving the question of difficult transport in 

 many parts of the country. 



It was largely in connection with the peculiar 



