A History of Agriculture in India v2.c80.s3.2

v2.c80.s3.2

Another African animal presented to him was a zebra (*Equus zebra*). ‘At this time I saw a wild ass (*gur-khar*), exceedingly strange in appearance,’ observed Jahangir. ‘From the tip of the nose to the end of the tail, and from the point of the ear to the top of the hoof, black markings, large or small, suitable to their position, were seen on it. Round the eyes there was an exceedingly fine black line. One might say the painter of fate, with a strange brush, had left it on the page of the world. As it was strange, some people imagined that it had been coloured. After minute inquiry into the truth, it became known that the Lord of the world was the Creator thereof. As it was a rarity, it was included among the royal gifts sent to my brother Shah ‘Abbas.’ The zebra also was painted by Mansur (Fig. 49).