The Florida star. (Titusville, Fla.) 1880-1917, 1909-01-29
STRIPEDARMYMOIINT
Animal Breeding Test Nay Evolve
zebra-BurrO Chargers.
MORE EXPERIMENTS PLANNED

Hardy Pack, Animal Type Being
Sought a. Rsthssds ststion, Near
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. Scientists
Much interested In Little Hybrid
Bsasts.
II an experiment in animal breeding
that has been started over at the ex-
pertinent station at Bethesda, Md, near
Washington, works out, cavalry horse
that Is half zebra may be evolved and
the day may come whep Uncle Sans
hardy troopers viii dash after the enc
my mounted on beasts that resemble
animated barber poles.
So far the experiments have pro-
.gressed to the point that two young
colts have been born at the Bethesda
station. They are not colts either, but
are called colts because Noah Webster
never dreamed the world would one
day get far enough along so there
would be an animal that was half re
bra and half burrO or donkey. But
this is Just what has happened. And
this is only the beginning.
The sire Of the two young hybrids
alluded to is that famous zebra that
King Menelik Of Abyssinia, following
the Skinner expedition that opened up
Abyssinia to American trade, sent to
President Roosevelt. The dams are
two burros, or Texas donkeys. One Of
the colts is about three weeks old.
The other is still younger. Both are
OF hues indescribable. as might be i'm
agined considering the color scheme Of
the zebra and the burros, their par
ents
The government scientists are de-
lighted. No incubator baby was ever
watched over by lot of physicians
with more care than the hybrid chill
dren OF zehro and burro. All this Is
I'm the interest OF the advancement Of
science.
1t Is the hope Of the experts that
there viii be evolved beast OF burden
that win have advantages over both
the horse and the mule and viii be i'm
mune to some Of the diseases that at
feet both Of these animals.
What the experts want also is a by
Bird that viii be half horse, half zebra.
Experiments to that end will be begun.
The zebra that was sent over by Meme
llk, however, 10 too vicious to be
adaptable for this purpose. But 1t so
happens that another and younger
male zebra has been imported for the
experiment station, and this animal
win be used for the hybridization Of
the horse and the zebra. From this
experiment it is thought there can be
evolved an animal not merely useful
for draft purposes, but an animal that
perhaps would be useful for cavalry
purposes in the tropics.
Time was when the zebra sent over
by Menelik was a reasonably kind,
gentle and considerate beast. He was
6rst sent to the president, but there
was no room for him I'm the White
House, so the president sent him to
the geological gardens.
He was on his good behavior at the
ZOO, but since he has gone over to
Maryland he has become ugly and
vicious In the extreme. He kicks,
bites, paws and stirs up trouble gen.
orally. No one ventures to go near
him without the most extreme precau-
tons for fear Of being killed.
This gift Of Menelik's weighs about
800 pounds. He is Of the largest spe-
cies Of zebra and the most numerously
striped. He Is shorter and more COM
pact than horse. He Is known as
the Grevy zebra, the species being
named after a former president Of
France. This species is found in Abys-
sinia and other parts Of northeast Afri-
ca. 1t may be President Roosevelt
will encounter one in his mission to
the dark continent.