THE WILD ASS. 447 



THE WILD ASS. 



The Wild Ass, Equiis onager (Plate XXXIII), is repeatedly men- 

 tioned in the Bible. Xenophon found it near the Euphrates, Pliny in 

 Asia Minor, and it is seen to-day in Palestine. Its home extends from 

 Syria through the Persian dominions to India. 



It is considerably smaller than the Kulan, but larger and finer limbed 

 than the common ass. The head is larger than the Kulan's, the lips 

 thick, and closely set with stiff bristles, the ears pretty long, but shorter 

 than in the ass. The prevailing color is of a deep cream tint, which in 

 many specimens varies to a beautiful silver-white, and usually a some- 

 what lighter stripe runs along the back, in the centre of which is a dark- 

 brown Ime. The winter coat resembles camel's hair, the summer coat is 

 extremely smooth and soft. The mane stands upright, and is formed of 

 soft woolly hairs ; the tuft at the end of the tail is a span long. 



In its habits it resembles all other members of the family. An old 

 male conducts the herd of mares and foals, but he is not of so jealous a 

 disposition as the male Kulan, and at times tolerates the presence of a 

 rival. In speed it is not inferior to the Kulan. Porter writes that when 

 he was in the Persian province of Fars, his greyhound gave chase to an 

 animal which his companions affirmed to be an antelope. They followed 

 it at full speed, and, thanks to the hound's skill, got a good sight of it. 

 To his astonishment, it was a wild ass. He resolved to ride it down 

 with an Arab horse of extraordinary speed ; but all the efforts of his 

 noble horse were in vain till the wild creature stood still and gave him 

 an opportunity to examine it. But in an instant it was off as quick as 

 thought, curveting, and kicking out in play, as if not in the least wearied 

 by the chase, and was soon beyond the reach of its pursuer. 



The senses of the Wild Ass are very acute, and he is thus almost 

 unapproachable : he drinks only every other day, and prefers for food 

 plants like the sow-thistle or dandelion, disliking all fragrant herbs and 

 the true thistle. Like many wild animals, it ascends hills for the purpose 

 of surveying the country, a peculiarity noticed by Jeremiah (ch. xiv. 6): 

 " The wild asses did stand in the high places, they snuffed up the air like 

 dragons." Wood writes : " It is of a very intractable disposition, and 

 even when captured young, can scarcely ever be brought to bear a 

 burden, or draw a vehicle : even foals born in captivity refuse to be 



