704 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL (11 STORY SOCIETY, Vol. AV. 



this be true, our thoroughbreds belong to a species quite distinct from the 

 Equus caballus of Western Europe. 



To pass from details of structure to peculiarities of colour, the dun-coloured 

 breed of pony so common in Kathiawar has become well known in zoological 

 literature ever since the publication of The Origin of Species on account of the 

 frequency or constancy with which it exhibits zebra-like markings. Darwin 

 himself apparently never saw one, and I am not aware that a living specimen 

 has ever been brought to this country, while I think it may be safely asserted 

 that hitherto there has been no example in any of our museums. Accordingly 

 it is satisfactory to announce that a specimen has been presented to the British 

 (Natural History) Museum by the superintendent of the civil-veterinary depart- 

 ment at Ahraednagar, Bombay, and is now exhibited to the public in the north 

 hall of that building. On examination the specimen proves to be of even more 

 interest than was expected. 



Quoting from an Indian correspondent, Darwin stated that the Kathiawar 

 ponies are not considered pure bred unless they show striping. The spine, he 

 writes, is always striped, the legs generally show transverse barring, and in many 

 instances one, two, or even three shoulder-stripes may be present, while the 

 sides of the face may be also striped. It is added that the stripes are always 

 most conspicuous in the colts and that they may disappear in the adult. 



The museum specimen (which stands about 14 hands) is a bright yellow dun 

 with a dark brown mane and dorsal stripe, the latter being continued down the 

 tail. The hairs on the sides and upper part of the tail are coloured like the 

 back, but the remainder is dark brown. Very noticeable is the circumstance that 

 for soms inches below its origin the upper surface of the tail is very sparsely 

 haired — that is to say, so far as long hairs are concerned. The under parts and 

 muzzle are coloured much like the back. On their front surfaces the limbs are 

 blackish brown from the knees and hocks downwards, as they also are on much 

 of their outer sides. Above the dark part barrings are distinctly visible on the 

 hind surface of the fore limbs and on the inner side of the hind pair. There is 

 no trace of a shoulder stripe, but certain dark mottlings on the sides of the face 

 may be regarded as remnants of stripes. 



There can be little doubt that the aforesaid markings are the last vestiges of 

 a striping which was once complete, but was lost when the ancestral form of the 

 horse took more completely to a life in the open plains ; and from this it 

 follows that dun is probably the primitive colouring of the horse. But there is 

 another point of special interest in connection with this specimen. Those who 

 have seen the Mongolian wild ponies in the Zoo or in Woburn Park will not fail 

 to be struck by the marked resemblance presented to those animals (especially 

 the ones in which the muzzle and under parts are darker than usual) by the 

 Kathiawar pony. It is true ihat the latter is somewhat taller and more finely 

 built, while it has a much shorter and sleeker coat. Such differences are, how- 

 ever, only what we should expect to find in a domesticated breed inhabiting a 

 hot country. In addition to colouring (and it should be mentioned that the 



