THE MOUNTAIN ZEBRA 



to Europe by various animal dealers. One, of my 

 acquaintance, has so far sent about fifteen. When 

 catching them for. this purpose a good many are 

 accidentally killed, drop dead from exhaustion, or 

 succumb a week or two after capture. The Moun- 

 tain Zebra runs in small troops of three or four to 

 about ten individuals, and feeds upon grass and the 

 stunted shrubs which thrive upon the mountain 

 sides. 



When feeding or resting, one of the troop occupies 

 an adjacent elevation and acts as a sentinel, giving 

 the alarm with a shrill neigh. In situations where 

 they are not persecuted, such as those on some farms, 

 a sentinel is not posted. 



The Mountain Zebra is not one of those animals 

 which has taken to the high rugged mountains owing 

 to constant persecution by man, but apparently, like 

 the Klipspringer, it has made the high mountains 

 its home for preference. 



These Zebras feed during the early morning, 

 evening, and at night ; resting during the heat of the 

 day under the shade of a tree, in a kloof, or on the 

 shady side of the mountain beneath overhanging 

 rocks. They venture down into the valleys at night 

 to drink, but are always back in their mountain home 

 before dawn. The Mountain Zebra is a short, 

 compact, sturdy little animal, with the toughest 

 and hardest of hoofs. 



Although it does not possess the springing powers 

 of the Klipspringer antelope, this Zebra rivals it in 



183 . 



