ar 



94 TELEGONY AND EEVEKSION. 



ches, agrees with the Somali and Crawshay's zebras 

 (Figs. 34 and 35). I have photographs showing the 

 markings on the face in five Somali zebras. No two are 

 alike, but in no case do the arches form acute angles, as m 

 Matopo (Fig. 19). In all the hybrids the stripes on the 

 forehead are more numerous* and consequently narrower 

 than in the Somali zebra. 



In the striping of the neck, body, hind quarters, and legs 

 Romulus also resembles the Somali zebra far more than his 

 sire. In the case of Matopo there are twelve stripes which 

 extend into the mane between the occipital crest and the 

 shoulder stripe ; in Eomulus there are twenty-four stripes 

 in the same position. In the Somali zebra there are, on 

 an average, fourteen cervical stripes ; but evidently in this 

 zebra, as already mentioned, a certain amount of blending 

 of the cervical stripes has taken place. In Gray's figure 

 of Burchell's zebra, shadow stripes are represented in 

 front of as well as behind the shoulder stripe. + Notwith- 

 standing Gray's figure I have heard doubts expressed as 

 to shadow stripes being present on the neck of zebras. j 

 There is, however, no room for doubt on this point. In 



* 111 Komulus there are fourteen narrow dark brown curved frontal 

 lines, witli equally narrow pale lines between them. 



t 'Z.M.I. Jouru.,' pi. iv, July, 1825. 



J Tlie danger in dealing witli zebras is coming to conclusions from the 

 examinaiion of any given collection of skins or specimens. Conclusions 

 arrived at to-day often stand in need of altering to-morrow, so great and 

 remarkable is the range of variation in the stripes, more especially in what 

 may be known as the Burchell group of zebras. Though familiar enough 

 with tlie variations in the markings of our domestic animals — which for 

 many generations have been removed from the influence of natural selec- 

 tion — we are hardly prepared to find a wide range of variation in the 

 colour and marking of zebras living in a wild state in comparatively 

 limited areas. That in the case of the Burcliell group of zebras (i.e. the 

 Orawshayi, Chapmaiii, and Burchelli zebras) there is a wide range of varia- 

 tion in I lie arrangement, colour, extent, and relalions of the stripes, in the 

 mane and tail, and in the form of the head, neck, and hoofs, will be 

 abundanily evident if an attempt is made to classify them. A satisfactory 

 classification will not be possible until a large number of skins are available, 

 the distrirt to which each skin belongs being in each case specified. 



