Page:The Zoologist, 4th series, vol 2 (1898).djvu/89

Rh were coming out. By the 6th of June the dark lustreless winter coat had sufficiently gone around the base of the ears and above the eyes to indicate the colour of the summer coat. All through June and July the process of shedding continued, but by the 12th of August—the hybrid's first birthday—the summer coat was fully established. The dark stripes, which consisted chiefly of strong flattened hairs, looked very prominent. The intermediate bands were of a reddish brown colour over the brow, but elsewhere reminded one of the summer coat of a Stag. Taken as a whole Romulus was very decidedly darker as a yearling than during the early weeks of his existence.

As the long hairs were shed from the body and the root of the tail, numerous hairs dropped from the mane. In an ordinary mule (the foal of a New Forest pony) which I have had for some time, all the long hairs of the mane were shed last summer; but in Romulus, either some of the long hairs were retained, or the new hairs came in before the old ones were lost. At any rate, though the mane was shorter and less bulky and consequently more upright during August, it always consisted of numerous long hairs. At present the mane, which consists of wavy hairs from seven to nine inches in length, tends to fall slightly to one side,—the mane falls slightly to one side in some Zebras.

By the middle of September Romulus had again lost not a few of the brighter coloured hairs, and since then he has been getting again gradually darker. Probably because of the extreme mildness of the season the long hairs have already (January) begun to fall out in much the same way as they did last March.

All the experts who have seen Romulus agree in considering him a decided improvement on his sire, and more attractive and shapely than his dam. Having been handled from the first, he is, as a rule, extremely quiet. Occasionally, however, he clearly indicates he has plenty of courage and no lack of speed. At present he is particularly attached to a small thoroughbred mare. When separated from this mare he is sometimes as restless as his sire when upset by some change in his surroundings. Last week a strange Horse was galloped in the paddock where Romulus happened to be for the day. The hybrid became excited, and gave an excellent demonstration of his trotting and galloping powers, and of how proudly he could carry himself, and this