52 THR ZOOLOGIST. 
ordinary stripes on the neck and body; that even in some Bur- 
chell’s Zebras there are stripes across the croup and rump which 
suggest the “gridiron” of the Common Zebra (EH. zebra); and that 
while in summer the dark stripes are nearly black and the light 
stripes cream-coloured, in winter the dark stripes are occupied by 
fairly long brown hairs, while the light stripes are made up of 
equally long white hairs; the light tufts at the side of the mane, 
however, are white summer and winter. It may be added that 
Matopo, like the majority of the Burchell group of Zebras, being 
adapted for a life on the plains, has rounded hoofs and com- 
paratively short ears. He thus differs from the Mountain Zebra 
(H. zebra), and from his stable companion, a white Egyptian 
Donkey, in which the hoofs are long and narrow, while the ears 
measure 11} in., five inches more than in Matopo. 
Tue Hyprip “ Romuuvs.”’ 
The oldest hybrid (Romulus), as already noted, was born on 
the 12th of August, 1896, the period of gestation being three 
hundred and forty-two days,—in the mare it is usually from 
three hundred and forty to three hundred and fifty days. The 
dam of Romulus was a 13-hands, black Island of Rum pony, 
lent for the experiments by Lord Arthur Cecil, of Orchardmains, 
Kent. The well-bred black ponies of the Scottish Western 
Highlands and Islands, which have long been under observation, 
form a distinct breed, well adapted in many ways for crossing 
with Zebras. Their resemblance to Eastern Horses has been 
accounted for by saying they have descended from sires which 
escaped from the ships of the Spanish Armada.* 
Romulus, when a few days old, was the most attractive little 
creature I have ever seen (Plate III., fig. 1). He seemed to com- 
bine all the grace and beauty of an Antelope and a well-bred Arab 
foal. Instead of, like his sire, looking as if freshly painted for a 
Lord Mayor’s Show, he was faultless in colouring and in the dis- 
position of the stripes, spots, and bands. The body colour was 
chiefly of a bright golden yellow, while the stripes and spots were 
of a rich dark brown; but what was especially remarkable was the 
indescribable sheen of his coat, the dark bands being especially 
** Further particulars as to Mulatto, the dam of Romulus, will be found 
in the ‘ Veterinarian’ for November, 1896. 
