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,[[150]] is distinguished 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. burchelli, E. grevyi, as well as E. quagga. Professor Ewart thinks that the Common Zebra, Burchell's, and the Quagga 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 Victoria by King Menelek of Abyssinia. The species was named by Professor A. Milne-Edwards in honour of a late President of the French Republic, from an example also sent by King Menelek.
The Common Zebra has closer and darker stripes than Burchell'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. zebra has also a dewlap in front. E. burchelli has fewer and broader
stripes, and between them lie in many cases shadow-stripes of a faint brown.
Fig. 127.—Burchell's Zebra. Equus burchelli. × 1⁄20.
All these animals, and the Quagga too, are absolutely confined to Africa. Mr. R Crawshay,[[151]] in describing what he considered to be a new variety, remarked upon the curiosity of E. burchelli. "They remain out in the sun on the plains all day long, not retiring into covert at all. They are then an intolerable nuisance to any one in pursuit of other game; indeed this may be said of them at all times. If once they notice you, they draw in and mob you in their curiosity—only, however, when one takes no interest in them, for when they fancy they are the object of the intruder's attention, no animals are more watchful and cunning in safeguarding themselves. If only their curiosity were manifested in silence it would not so much matter, but it vents itself in snorts and thundering stampedes, which puts every beast within earshot on the qui vive."
Whether Burchell's Zebra[[152]] can be further subdivided into species or sub-species appears to be doubtful. Dr. Matschie considers that Equus boehmi may be regarded as a valid form, and in addition to this two sub-species, E. burchelli granti and
E. burchelli selousi, have been proposed for what are at most local races. But it is at present far from certain whether their distribution favours this subdivision.