THE GUN AT HOME AND ABROAD 
but to my mind there is less difference between Equus quagga — the so- 
called true quagga — and Equus burchelli , the typical Burchell’s zebra, 
than there is between Equus burchelli and Equus burchelli granti or 
Grant’s zebra. In addition to all the above-mentioned zebras to be found 
in Africa, another species was discovered some few years ago near 
Mossamedes in Southern Angola by Mr G. W. Penrice. This zebra appears 
to be nearly allied to the mountain zebra of the Cape Colony, but differs in 
its habits from that species as it is an inhabitant of the maritime plains 
near Mossamedes, and the country further inland, which is not at all 
mountainous. Further south, however, in Kaokoland, in German South- 
West Africa, the same or a very closely allied species of zebra is found 
inhabiting hilly country, and both these forms may be looked upon as 
sub-species or local races of the true or mountain zebra. 
Neither the wild asses nor the zebras of Africa are pursued with much 
enthusiasm by sportsmen, and the first-named animals are so shy and 
wild that whilst it is very difficult to get within shot of them on foot, if 
they are hunted on horseback they are so fleet and enduring that they 
can only be overtaken with great difficulty even by a really fast horse. 
However exhilarating such a gallop may be, it takes so much out of the 
horse that such sport is not likely to be often indulged in in a country 
where one’s shooting ponies require the utmost care and consideration 
to keep them in good condition. Thus the wild ass is seldom shot, and is 
probably of less interest to the average sportsman than any other African 
game animal. On the other hand, very large numbers of zebras are annually 
killed, not only because the range of these animals is very wide, but also 
because throughout their range zebras of one species or another are always 
very plentiful, and being large and fleshy animals, they afford an easily 
obtained food supply for the large number of native attendants required 
for a shooting expedition in the interior of Africa. Where zebras have not 
been much hunted, they are not only very tame, but also very inquisitive. 
I found this characteristic very noticeable when hunting in Portuguese 
East Africa in 1892. Up to that time the zebras in that district had probably 
never before seen a man wearing a hat and clothes, and herds of these 
animals continually came up to within a hundred yards to have a good 
look at me. On one occasion, when I was resting on the side of an antheap, 
round the base of which my native attendants were sitting, a large herd of 
zebras came up to within fifty yards of me and stood there staring at us 
for a long time, only running off eventually when I got up and walked 
36 
