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


CURIOUS LAWS OF OPTICS.
rhe zcbra's strlpoa Make II Vanish BY Day
Almost every writer who treats OF
the colors OF animals refors TO Cations
observations that in the bright starlight
d an African night zebras are praeti-
,ally invisible even at a short distances
but there can he no doubt that their
peculiar striped appearance is also Of
great protective value In broad daylight
On recent zebra hunt near Cradock,
IN which took part, several members
Of our party commented on the din.cnl-
ty Of seeing zebras even at moderate
distances, although there was nothing
20 hide them, the black and white
stripes blending SO completely chat the
animals assure duh brown appear
ince quite ia harmony with the general
color OF the locality in which they are
found, and IN which, for instance, Roof
RehbolS (Pelea capreolata) 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 eyesight, and
who has frequently hunted in similar
localities, saw zebra which was
wounded IN one Of the front legs at a
distance Of about four hundred yards
and strange to say he mstoolI it for q
big bnboon. In letter which | received
from him a few days ago he said; 1T
1 galloped like babooR from me, and
could only see that the color was gray.
| ish-brown At about five hundred
I yards from me it ran on To little
lsrautz, and mounting the highest rock,
drew its body together just as baboon
/ docs when It's four feet are all together
on the summit OF n little rock. His
remark as TO the grayish-brown color
of the animal is the more valuable, as !
believe this gentleman, Mr.. Wrench, A.
r. NJ, of Cradock, is quite unpreju
diced. In my own letters to 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 it was that he mistool1 black and
white zebra for brown baboon on
perfectly clear South African day
My own observations also confirm
that the stripes on the zebra are Of pro-
tective value, Riding along slope |
suddenly saw four zebras within hun
drcd yards above me- They were gal
Looping down the hill, but stopped when
they caught sight Of me. As soon as
they stopped saw their stripes pretty
distinctly. After | had fired and
wounded one of them, they started
again galloping down the hill round
me in a semi-circle at a distance Of
about seventy yards All this time
they presented q duh brown appear
ance, no stripes being visible, although
had my attention fixed on this point
They disappeared beyond q ridge, went
down a little valley, and heard after
ward thatthey ascended the next slope,
which was not more that 1900 yards
away from where ! stood with native
servant Yet even this lynx-eyed nativ'
could not sec them going mp this slope.
They had vanished from us
Perhaps it may interest some Of your
readers to learn that zebras are still :
fairly plentiful on the rugged hills west
OF Cradoel1 A troop Of forty-one ami /
mails was seen on the very ground over
which we hunted % short time before /
we arrived. Our party saw eleYen in |
two days, but | believe three were seen /
on two if not on three different occa- /
sions This would reduce their number
20 eight, x not 30 fyo. They are pro- t
tected by government, and also by the I
farmers themselves, but ] am afraid |
that in spite of that their days are NUM- /
bered. They are said to be- very de- I
structivo TO wire fences, and ms 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 mp his gun and clear them
of his property.
There win then probably be an out
cry by people who know the difficulties /
of South African farming only from
nuu>a written by travellers VINO hurry
through South Africa ia a hrst-class
railway carriage; but those who really
know South Africa well will say ii IS a
great, great pity, but 1t cannot De
helped unless government provides
speedily an abode for these ana other
animals threatened with extinction.
The first step in the right direction
would perhaps be the establishment Of
n government geological garden, but /
hope others who are more competent
than am win stir the people OF Cape
Colony mp before it is too late, SO that
more than mere game laws
may be done to preserve them Nature