Mr. E. Blyth on the different Animals known as Wild Asses. 253 



sively diffused over Africa, even to Abyssinia and to Congo, and 

 southward to the Gariep river *. 



3. A. zebra (Equus montanus, Burchell). The Zebra of mo- 

 dern nomenclature, or (more distinctively) the Mountain Zebra ; 

 Wild Paard (Wild Horse) of the Dutch colonists of South Africa. 

 A thorough mountaineer, and known only to inhabit South 

 Africa. Also the most completely striped of any, down to the 

 very hoofs. 



4. A. vulgaris, Gray (E. asinus, L.). The true Onager, Ona- 

 grus, or aboriginally wild Ass. Indigenous to North-east Africa, 

 if not also to the southern parts of Arabia and the island of 

 Socotra. 



5. A. hemippus (E. hemippus, Is. St.-Hilaire; E. asinus onager 

 apud Wagner). The Hemionus or Hemippus of the ancients. 

 Inhabiting the deserts of Syria, Mesopotamia, and the northern 

 parts of Arabia. 



6. A. onager (E. asinus onager, Pallas). The Koulan or Ghor- 

 khur. Inhabits West Asia, from 48° N. latitude southward to 

 Persia, Beluchistan, and Western India. 



7. A. hemionus {E. hemionus, Pallas; E. kyang, Moorcroft; 

 E. polyodon, Hodgson). The Dshiggetai or Kyang. Inhabits 

 Tibet, and thence northward through the Gobi Desert into 

 Mongolia and Southern Siberia. 



N.B. So far as known for certain, the last two are distinguish- 

 able by shades of colour only, and by unimportant differences in 

 the relative extension of different hues and markings. The A, 

 hamar of Col. C. H. Smith is rejected, as having been founded 

 on insufficient evidence of the existence of such an animal. 



It is highly improbable, also, that other wild asinine species 

 yet remain to be distinguished. 



To recapitulate, I have endeavoured in this paper to establish 

 the following novel propositions : — 



1. That the true Onager and Hemionus of ancient writers 

 were unknown to Pallas, who has assigned these names to cog- 

 nate species or races that were unknown to the Greeks and 

 Romans. 



2. That, accordingly, the Koulan of N. Asia is not the true 

 Onager or aboriginal wild Ass, but that it is identical with the 

 Indian Ghor-khur. 



3. That the true Onager, or wild Ass, is not an inhabitant of 

 North Asia, but of North-east Africa and the southern portion 

 of Arabia. 



4. That the Koulan and the Dshiggetai or Kyang, instead of 

 being strongly distinguished apart, as has been asserted, bear 



* To this species appertained the " Zebra" lately subjected by Mr. Rarey. 



