86 ADDITIONAL SPECIES OF THE GENUS EQUUS. 



creature was seen at a distance." * To this it may be repli- 

 ed, that the very inferior size of the isabelline antelope, the 

 non- gregarious habits of its group — at least to any extent, 

 and above all, the matured judgment of so experienced an 

 observer as Le Vaillant (who even possessed a mutilated skin, 

 that would have enabled him to correct a hastily-formed opin- 

 ion, for the shaggy coat of a Redunca is widely different from 

 that of an Equus), alike concur to negative the conjecture. 



The last animal I have to mention is a wild Equus of the 

 Eastern Himmalayas. In Moorcroft's ' Travels in the Him- 

 malayan Provinces ' (Residence at Ladakh, vol. i. page 311), 

 we read, — " In the eastern parts of this country is a non-de- 

 script wild variety of horse, which I may call Equus kiang. 

 It is, perhaps, more of an ass than a horse, but its ears are 

 shorter [they are long in Eq. hemionus], and it is certainly 

 not the Gurkhor, or wild ass of Sindh. Its activity and 

 strength render its capture difficult." He afterwards nar- 

 rates (page 443), — " We saw many large herds of the kiang, 

 and I made various attempts to bring one down, but with in- 

 variably ill success. Some were wounded, but not sufficiently 

 to check their speed, and they quickly bounded up the rocks, 

 where it w^as impossible to follow. They would afford ex- 

 cellent sport to four or five men well mounted, but a single 

 individual has no chance. The kiang allows his pursuer to 

 approach no nearer than five or six hundred yards ; he then 

 trots off, turns, looks, and waits until you are almost within 

 distance, when he is off again. If fired at, he is frightened, and 

 scampers off altogether. The Chan-than people sometimes 

 catch them by snares, sometimes shoot them. From all I 

 have seen of the animal, I should pronounce him to be nei- 

 ther a horse nor an ass. His shape is as much like that of 

 the one as of the other ; but his cry is more like braying than 

 neighing. [That of the Djigguitai is a curious compound of 

 both]. The prevailing colour is a light reddish chestnut; 

 but the nose, the under part of the jaw and neck, the belly 

 and legs, are white ; the mane is dun and erect ; the ears are 

 moderately long ; the tail bare, and reaching a little below 

 the hocks ; the height is about fourteen hands. The form, 

 from the fore to the hind leg, and feet, to a level with the 

 back, is more equal than that of an ass. He is, perhaps, 

 more allied to the quagga, but is without stripes, except a 

 reported one along each side of the back to the tail. These 

 were distinctly seen in a foal, but were not distinguished in 

 the adults." 



' Griffith's English Edition of the ' Regne Animal,' vol. iv. p. 241. 



