The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-02-16
ZEBRA'S STRIPES HIS ARMOR.
HIDE HIN FROM ENEMIES IN HIS
NATIVE yOODLiNDS.
Color OF the Horses Relatives Varies
10 Suit surroundings Edible
Aby sslnian Cousin discussed 10y
Prof. osborn Donkcy's Good Points.

In the flfth Of the Morris h Jesup lect-
ures on the evolution Of the horse at the
Museum Of Natural History last night. Prof
Henry Fairchild Osborn brought out the
fact that the horse OF single color always
seeks the open plain as a habitat. while
the Zebra. OF 81 riped horse. loves the sayau-
nah or wooded regions. In spite OF his con
spicuous stripes, the zebra. in his native
regions is through the arrangement OF his
coloring singulsrly iuconspicuous. and so
protected against his enemies The ass
it was shown. il desert animal. and some
species Of him, are good 10 eat The Romans
IN their day used to eat the meat 81 the
young Abys-rian asses and so wasted the
species The HOMOGENEOUS color of the horse
may have orr ginated from stripes a. vivid
as the Zebra now has.
To the moderns said the lecturer
Africa was arat known froin tae south
and in Cape Colony the mountain zebra
was first discovered The same species
was also found by Hartmann on the west
coast OF Africa. The zebra in genera j.
vicious intrectable, desperate; he has really
never been tanned. On the mountain zebra
the stripes do not go clean around, but are
lost in the broad white stripe of the belly
This white stripe it has been shown is
for the purpose OF neutralizinR the shadows
when the rays OF the sun fall vertically
The pronounce ed black stripe on the
back, without some trace of which no
member OF the horse family is found, IS
desianed to neulrilize the sunl ght falling
! on the back On the Group is a sort Of
gridiron arrangement Of stripes, and on
! the thigh are great stripes coming all the
way up from the legs.
Another great species known "a the
Burchall zebra. inhSbiting the territory
from the Grunge River 10 Victoria Nyanza,
was discovered by the great Fin Rlsh sports
man Burchall. who took home many skins
of specimenH he had shot. In the Burchnll
species the RIB stripes completely encircle
the body Ii has no gridircn on the Group
hut IL has a brownish shadow stripe be-
tween the black stripes, IN which tint is
seen the beginning OF the nonotonous
! brown coloring Of the horse The RIB
stripe in the Burchall species IL disappear
Another species is the Imperial or Crew
zabra II il most numerous in Soma Hand.
In 1882 King Menelik of Abyssinia cent
President GrevY OF France such Zebra
hence the name. IL has a wide background
and numerous stripes II * forest living
animal and has the rounder ears of that
type President Roosevelt received one
from King Menelik. too. II - about IL
i hands nlRn ana mas very lOHR l"dQ.
zone specie. the quaRgd so called from
the sound Of the neigh. Is now extinct
The Beers used to feed 1t 10 the Hottentots
that worked for them Very few museums
possess specimens Of the qua gga The
stripes from it's hips have entirely die
appeared and the brown background ex-
pands. the stripes tending to fade out
Inc striped ancestors Of the horse were
proba bly colored in this fashion The
British. the Belgian and the German Gov
ernments have now united 10 protect the
zebras against sportsmcn
From me zebra Prot Osborn went over
TO the ass.
.The ass he said ia desert animal
with long ears. The Somaliland ass has
striped legs They were probably originally
striped animals. They have white mu7-
zle.s-the aebras have black and a Rrayish
color similar 10 the color Of deserr sand.
Donkeys. that We look upon a. - stupid.
have, nevertheless. many fine qualities
They are hardly. able TO bear extremes 81
climate, and are very strong
Next Monday the course will be ter
minated with lecture on the domestic
horse,