OCR Text |
Show 688 MR. P. L. SCLATER ON A SPECIES OP ZEBRA. [Nov. 19, he met with this species at Dambool in 1892, and has since secured several examples of both sexes, and considers it to be a permanent resident in some parts of the island." Mr. Sclater gave a short account of the principal animals he had noticed in the Jardin d'Acclimatation and Jardin des Plantes at Paris during a recent visit. The Jardin d'Acclimatation contained a fine herd of Cervus davidianus, males, females, and young, six in all. The larger Antelopes represented there were the Sing-sing (Cobus unduosus), of which there were a male, two females, and a young one; White-tailed Gnus (Connocheetes gnu), also breeding ; and Bubals (Bubalis busdaphus), of which a pair were accompanied by a young one, born 15th June, 1394 ; besides Elands, Beisas, and Leucoryxes. The single Giraffe was a fine large male, born in the Gardens 13 years ago. An old female African Elephant (22 years in the Gardens) was employed in carrying children, besides which there were several young Indian Elephants. There was a single Mountain Zebra (Equus zebra). Specimens of the following birds were in the collection:- Pteroglossus inscriplus, Rallus rgtirhynchus, Bucorax abyssinicus, Trichoglossus ornatus, Tinamus tataupa, and Ortyx pectoralis. The colony of Penguins (Spheniscus demersus) * consisted of six or seven pairs, several of which were nesting. In the Jardin des Plantes there was a male African Elephant, now about 16 years in the Garden, a female Hippopotamus, received as a present from Halim Pasha in 1875, a female Equus zebra, and a female Cervus maral, which had bred with a Eed Deer. Among the Antelopes were several examples of the Bubal (Bubalis busdaphus) from Eastern Algeria, on the frontiers of Marocco, and a fine young male Kob (Cobus kob) from the Gambia, which was a rare species in captivity. The herd of Pleasant Antelopes (Tragelaphus gratus)-cf. P. Z. S. 1883, p. 34, pi. viii.-now consisted of two females and an adult and young male. Mr. Sclater read the following extracts from a letter addressed to him by Mr. B. Crawshay, dated Deep Bay, Lake Nyasa, British Central Africa, April 25, 1895 :- " Shortly after writing to you in January last 1 made a journey into the Henga country, three days S.W. of this, and procured the specimen that I promised to get you of the Zebra of these parts. " It is a male, very aged I should say, and a good specimen. I have preserved it as carefully as circumstances would permit in the rains, and in a wet country like Henga. It is complete-hide, leg-bones, hoof, and skull. It appears to m e to be neither of the two Zebras, Equus zebra nor E. burchelli, but a combination of the two, most resembling the variety of Burchell's known as E. chap-mani. In colour it does resemble E. zebra, the stripes are 1 Cf. P. Z. S. 1891, p. 326. |