Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1892-08-11
ouRIous laws oE op1Ioa.


rhe zebra's stripes Mako u vanIoh by nay,
Almost every writer who treats Of
the colors Of animals refers to Cations
observatioas that in the bright starlight
of ON African night zcbrds are practl-
sally invisible even at a short distance;
but there cnn he no doubt that their
peculiar striped appearance is also OF
great protective value In broad daylighG
On a recent zebra hunt near CradoclS,
In which took part, several members
Of our party commented on the din.cul-
ty Of seeing zebras even at moderate
distances, although there was nothing
10 hide them, the black and white
stripes blending 50 completely that the
animals assun c dull brown appear
incc quite In harmony with the general
color Of the locality in which they are
found, and In which, for instance, Roof
RehbolS (Pelea caprcolata) IS also well
protected on account Of its peculiar
brownish coat.
A member Of our party who on
another occasion gave proof that he Is
possessed Of excellent cycsight, and
who has frequently hunted in similar
localities. saw zebra which was
wounded in one Of the front legs at a
distance ot about four hundred yards,
and strange TO say he mistoolS It for
big balloon. In letter which received
from him few days ago he said: "tt
galloped like balloon from me, and
could only sec that the color was gray.
ish-brown. At about five hundred
yards from mo IL ran on 20 % little
lSrantz, aud mounting the highest rock,
drew its body together just as a baboon
does when its four feet are all together
on the summit of little rock" His
remark as &c the grayish-brown color
of the animal is the more valuable, rs
believe this gentleman, Mr.. Wrench, A.
r. NJ, of Cradock, Is quite unprcju.
diced. In my own letters 10 him, which
drew forth these remarks, had only
asked him for the distance at which he
saw the zebra, and did not ask him
how 1t was that he mistooll a black and
white zebra for brown baboon on q
perfectly clear South African day.
My own observations also confirm
that the stripes on the zebra are of pro.
tective value. Riding along q slope /
suddenly saw four zebras within a hun
dred yards above me. They were gall
lopinP down the hill, but stopped when
they caught sight Of me. As soon as
they stopped l saw thc'- stripes pre- ty
distinctly. After ] had fred and
wounded enc of them, they started
ngain galloping down the hill round
me in semi-circle at n distance OF
nbout seventy yards. All this time
they presented dull brown appear
nnce, no stripes being visible, although
] had my attention fixed on this point.
They disappeared beyond a ridge. went
down little valley, and heard after
ward that they assembled the next slope,
which was not more that 1900 yards
away from where / stood with q native
servant Yet even this lynx-eyed nativ,
could not sec them going up this slope
They had vanished from us.
Perhaps It may interest some Of your
readers 20 learn that zobras are still
fairly plentiful on the rugged hills west
Of CradoclS A troop of forty-one ami
mails was seen on the very ground over
which we hunted n short time before
we arrived. Our party saw eleven in
two days, but | believe three were seen
on two II not on three different occa-
sions. This would reduce their number
to eight, IL not TO five. They are pro-
tected by government. and also by the
farmers themselves, but | am afraid
that in spite of that their days are num-
bcred. They arc said to BE- very de-
structive to wire fences, and rs the in
closing of farms with wire fences is
steadily on the increase in this colony,
many farmer VIII have. though per-
haps reluctantly and in defiance Of the
law, TO take up his gun and clear them
off his property.
There win then probably be an out
cry by people who know the difficulties
of South African farming only from
books written by travellers who hurry
through South Africa in a fir1t-class
railway carriage; but those who really
know South Africa well will say It is a
great, great pity, but II cannot be
helped unless government provides |
speedily an abode for these and other |
animals threatened with extinction.
The first step in the right direction |
would perhaps be the establishment Of |
! government geological garden, but |
nope others who are more competent 1
han l am will stir the people Of Cape /
,olony up before Il is too late, so that
more than mere game laws
nay be done TO preserve them.