Page:The Zoologist, 4th series, vol 2 (1898).djvu/90

58 continued for some time after the intruder left the field. Romulus was recently described by an excellent judge of Horses in the 'Scottish Farmer' as "a bonnie colt, with rare quality of bone, ... and with the dainty step and dignity of the Zebra." There is nothing about the hybrids, strange to say, that suggests the ordinary mule or hinny.

The dam of Remus is a three-parts bred, 14.1-hands Irish mare. "Biddy" has been in my possession since 1893, and is now nine years old. She is a bay, with black points, but no white hairs anywhere, and Remus is her first foal. She is a very gentle quiet creature, and has always been in excellent condition, winter and summer alike.

Evidently the Zebra, before coming here, had not made the acquaintance of any of his equine relatives. When first introduced to Mulatto, he rushed into a corner with his tail between his legs, and uttered peculiar little sounds which strongly suggested abject fear. Some of the ponies rushed at him open-mouthed; others deliberately pelted him with their heels. On the other hand, a bay Arab stallion and various mares could not have been more alarmed had he been a Tiger, or, when he called "Quacha," "Quacha," a troup of Lions. To give him a chance of discovering what sort of an animal a Horse is, I turned him loose one evening with a good-natured but very plucky bay Shetland pony. The pony proceeded to tease the Zebra, who very soon began to show fight. He was soon circling round the pony with the object of seizing her legs. For a time the pony was unprepared for this mode of attack, but ere long adopted similar tactics, with the result that the Zebra was several times brought to his knees. After a couple of hours the duel came to an end,—the damage being very slight on either side,—and ever afterwards Matopo and "Sheila" were excellent friends. But even during the spring of 1896 the Zebra was ridiculously timid, and even now a very small demonstration leads him to beat a