CHAPTER Till. 



BUECHELL'S ZEBRA. 



{Equus bwrchellii. Gray.) 



The best known zebra at the present time is , tliat wMch 

 was named after Burcliell/ tlie African traveller. The 

 species is still common in some , parts of South Africa, 

 and is now being utilised in the coach teams in the 

 Transvaal. The Burchell differs from the mountain zebra 

 (H. zebra) in several essential parts. It is a larger and 

 stronger animal, with shorter ears, which are rarely 

 inore, than 6|in. in length, and have a much larger 

 proportion of white, a longer mane, and a fuller and 

 more horse -like tail. The general colour is pale 

 yellowish brown, the stripes being dark brown or nearly 

 black. There is usually a longitudinal stripe along the 

 under side. The dorsal stripe is defined by a white line 

 over the haunches, and there are not any stripes proceed- 

 ing from it at right angles as in the mountain zebra. 

 ' There are two, if not more, well-marked varieties of 

 Burchell's zebra. The one originally described was remark- 

 able for the absence of markings on the fore legs and on 

 the tail. In the other variety the limbs are covered more 

 or less completely with transverse stripes, and this form 

 has been named after its first discoverer, Mr. B. Chapman. 

 Chapman's zebra was originally described by Mr. B. L. 

 Layard in the Zoological Society's Proceedings for 1865. 



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