The Spanish Fork press. [volume] (Spanish Fork, Utah) 1902-current, 1909-05-20


its easterly course, large herds Of
buffalo are still to he found. ibis
country, however Is only accessible
during the African winter--April tn
October-nless the risk OF deadly
fever be taken. There ere still buffar
10 TO be found to, about the Chobe
river. in the far-off swamps and
marshes of the Upper Okavango. In
these regions the tsetse ny is cei tain
to be found In the buffaloes' haunt.
and the hunter must perforce do all
his work on foot.
As the African buffalo is one vi the
toughest and most difficult of all game
animals to bring to bag. so that hand
some creature. Burchell's zebra
tEuuus Burcholn, the zebra of the
plains, is by far the most easily de-
stroyed. A single $50 EXPRESS or Mar
tini.Henry bullet will at once turn
this fleet and handsome animal Of the
troop, an easy victim (if not eady
killed outrigh) to the hunters next
shot. With a broken leg the zebra
is instantly helpless; with a broken
limb, and a shot through the body TO
bOONt Oht vi Ant AlilCuu sAE3~
telopes, such as hartebeest or brin-
died gnu, will often run for miles, and
finally escape the hunter altogether
As an almost invariable rule Burch-
ellis zebras are hunted on horseback;
they are fleet and enduring, and even
first-class South African hunting
pony must be in very good form, and
upon hard even ground, to carry his
rider within hail of them. Most usu-
ally these animals are to be met with
feeding on open grassy plains, or in
open bush, where large glades and
clearings are to he found. In TALON
end chase across flats. with a fair
start they can usually gallop clean
away from the mounted man. IL II
were not for habit of curiosity, they
| would, indeed, be "kittle cattle" To
come up with on the great plains
But their curiosity is often their I'M
| doing. have many times gall0peG
steadily behind a troop of these re
bras, and then halted for moment
The zebras would then wheel quickly
round in line and stand for minute
to have a good look ut the pursuer
This was the time to put in a steady
shot. Sometimes, even when the hun
ter is galloping. they will turn round
and stand for moment, apparently
out of sheer curiosity.
DISCRIMINATING the African Zebra.
| In semi-bushy country, where their
view is more circumscribed, these re
bras are without much difficulty shot.
In Mashonaland large numbers OF
those Zebras have been shot within
the last few years by the pioneers
and settlers. l have found that by
making long d our an" getting be-
tween them and the bush to which
they run for shelter, these animals
when feeding in the open can be
driven about and shot pretty much at
will. They seem for the time to be-
come Clustered, lose their heads, try
to make short cuts past IL" mounted
men. and so fall victims In former
days these magnificent beasts ran In
immense numbers In all the open
country from the Orange river to the
Zambesi. They are still to be found
in large troops in the Ngamiland couD-
try, in remoter parts of Mashonaland.
and in still .rger numbers east and
northeast of Mashonaland, toward
the coast. Beyond the Zambesi they
are widely distributed in Africa, be
coming exceedingly plentiful again
upon the great plains between the
cast coast and Uganda, South Of the
Orange river they seem seldom, II
ever. to have ranged. Burchell's re
bra is not to be COMPOUNDED with
the more asinine black and white
mountain zebra &c Zebra), which ia
perfectly striped all over. The B rch-
ellis zebra is best ;nown to the Brit
ish public of all this handsome group
good examples being Away on view
in the Geological society's gardens
AS a general rule this zebra is moi
perfectly banded down the legs--as Ia
Its mountain cousin--but a variety
sometimes called by scientists" Chap
mans zebra" is to be found In the
interior, with the white | IS pretty
generally banded as far down as the
fetlocks. The average European
sportsman, having shot few of these
beautiful creatures as specimens, will
usually stay His manu- anu spare tueui
unless meat for his followers is abso
lutely needed. The Boer and native
hunter, on the contrary, shoot then
whenever they get the chance. merely
for the price of the skin-a matter oil
few shillings up country. And sc
the species Lecomes eXterminated. II
is a thousand pities. OF all sights
in the fair yeldt-and there are man,
to charm the eye-l know of few no
bier than good troop of Burchelrs
zebras, creatures which seem to have
been created for on other purpose
than to adorn the wilderness
Whether feeding quietly among the
herbage or resting in the heat ol
midday; or fleeting across the plain
their striped coats. as clean and shin
. | ing as Wpll-grOnmad rapa hnrSa