OF THE GENUS EQUUS. 83 



the occurrence of wild Equi in that country; but it is not 

 unlikely that a fourth species is here indicated by Bruce, 

 which remains to be established by future observers. 



The next quotation is from Bell's ' Travels in Tartary,' vol. 

 i. chap. iii. p. 224 ; " Journey from Tomsky to Elimsky, in 

 the country of the Tzulimm Tartars." — " Here are also wild 

 asses. I have seen many of their skins. They have, in all 

 respects, the head, tail, and hoofs of an ordinary ass; but their 

 hair is waved, white and brown, like that of a tiger.'''' This 

 comparison would lead us to believe that they are striped ; 

 and it should be remembered that the common ass, aborigi- 

 nally an Asiatic species, has frequently distinct stripes upon 

 the legs when very young. Bell adds — " There is, besides, 

 a number of wild horses, of a chestnut colour, which cannot 

 be tamed, though they are caught when foals. These horses 

 differ in nothing from the common kind in shape, but are the 

 most watchful creatures alive. One of them waits always on 

 the heights, to give warning to the rest ; and, upon the least 

 approach to danger, runs to the herd, making all the noise he 

 can ; upon which all of them scud away, like so many deer. 

 The stallion drives up the rear, neighing, biting, and kicking 

 those which do not run fast enough. Notwithstanding their 

 wonderful sagacity, however, these animals are often sur- 

 prised by the Kalmucks; who ride in among them, well 

 mounted on swift horses, and kill them with broad lances. — 

 Their flesh they esteem excellent food, and use their skins to 

 sleep upon instead of couches." 



The preceding paragraph to that just cited, in the same 

 work, is especially interesting, as containing a distinct notice 

 of the aurochs, ( Bos caiicasica ? ) which I am surprised has 

 been overlooked by naturahsts who have sought for traces 

 of the European bison in Asia : that the Caucasian animal, 

 however, which this would probably be, is a distinct spe- 

 cies, I think (with Dr. Weissenborn), extremely probable.* 

 " On the hills, and in the woods near this place, are many 

 sorts of wild beasts ; particularly the urus, or uhr-ox, one of 

 the fiercest animals the world produces. Their force is such, 

 that neither the wolf, bear, nor tiger, dares to engage with 

 them." This of course cannot be the gaour, or Asseel Gayal, of 

 India ; of which latter, I may remark, there is a skull in the 

 Museum of the United Service Club, said to be from the south of 



' In the Catalogue of the Museum of the Royal College of Surgeons, 

 London, a hison's skull (that of a young female, and the only portion of 

 this animal that I know of in London), is marked — " Habitat the forests of 

 southern Russia in Asia, the Caucasian and Carpathian mountains, &c." 



