2 44 GREVY'S ZEBRA 



animal than the Horse. Mr. Tegetmeier calls attention to a 

 donkey living in 1893 which had been ridden fifty-five years 

 previously. The Horse, on the other hand, lives not much more 

 than twenty-five years. 



A second species of African Wild Ass, E. somalicus} is distin- 

 guished by its greyer colour, by the absence of the shoulder stripe, 

 by the very faint development of the dorsal stripe, and by the 

 presence of numerous cross stripes upon the legs. It has, too, 

 smaller ears, and a longer and more flowing mane. Mr. Lort 

 Phillips, an experienced naturalist and traveller, saw a herd of 

 these Wild Asses in Somaliland, which he regarded as being of 

 quite a new species. A living example in the Zoological Society's 

 Gardens led Mr. Sclater to an identical conclusion, which was 

 supported, as he pointed out, by the fact that this Ass has a 

 different range to the African or Nubian Wild Ass. 



Of the Zebras three species are usually allowed ; these are E. 

 zebra, the " Mountain " or " Common " Zebra, E. iurchelli, E. grevyi, 

 as well as E. qiucgga. Professor Ewart thinks that the Common 

 Zebra, Burchell's, and the (,iuagga are not very distinctly marked 

 off from each other. No one, however, has any doubt of the 

 distinctness of E. grevyi. This latter differs from the rest in its 

 larger size, in the large head and ears, and in the marked hairiness 

 of the ears. It would seem to be a primitive type of Zebra, if 

 the fact that the occasional reversion of hybrids to a parent 

 form be allowed ; for Professor Ewart found a cross-bred Zebra to 

 present several characteristics in the face -marking of this, the 

 finest of the Zebra tribe. Only four specimens of E. grevyi have 

 been exhibited alive in Europe — two in Paris, and two in the 

 Zoological Society's Gardens in London. The latter were presented 

 to Queen A''ictoria by King Menelek of Abyssinia. The species was 

 named by Professor A. Milne-Edwards in honour of a late President 

 of the Erench Eepublic, from an example also sent by King 

 Menelek. 



The Common Zebra has closer and darker stripes than Bur- 

 chell's, but not quite so close as in E. grevyi. It has also a very 

 characteristic arrangement of stripes on the withers in the form 

 of a gridiron. This latter is wanting in both the other species. 

 In E. grevyi, in fact, this part of the back is white. E. zehra 

 has also a dewlap in front. E. hurclielli has fewer and broader 



» Proc Zool. Soc. 1884, p. 540. 



