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CHAPTER IV. 



THE DONKEY. 



The despised donkey may be said to be a more 

 typical representative of the liorse family (Equidae) 

 than the horse himself He has far more near 

 relatives living in a state of freedom than has his 

 prouder fellow-servant, and also structurally more 

 closely resembles the common ancestor of the 

 tribe. 



The four known species of zebra — the Cape or 

 mountain zebra, Burchell's zebra, the beautiful 

 quagga (now, alas ! extinct), and the zebra of 

 North-East Africa — as well as the three or four 

 species of wild ass, are all the donkey's near kin. 



There is very little doubt that the forefathers 

 of our domestic donkey inhabited the mountain- 

 ous tableland to the south and east of Egypt. 

 There are still herds of wild asses to be found in 



