651 



CHAPTER XXXIV. 



ASSES, ZEBRAS AND EQUINE HYBRIDS. 



Geographical Distribution of Wild Asses — Domestic Ass and Nubian Wild Ass — 

 Somaliland Wild Ass — Onager — Syrian Wild Ass — Kiang — Mountain Zebra — 

 Burchell's Zebra — Chapman's Zebra — Grant's Zebra — Crawshay's Zebra — 

 Grevy's Zebra — Quagga— Horse and Ass Hybrids — Horse and Zebra Hybrids. 



Geographical Distribution of Wild Asses These 



animals are found only in Asia and in North-Eastern 

 Africa. 



The Domestic Ass and Nubian Wild Ass (Equus 

 asinus, Linnaeus ; or Equus tcBuiopus, Heuglin). — The 

 domestic ass (Fig. 397) is evidently descended from the 

 Nubian Wild Ass (Figs. 402 and 614), which is found in 

 Nubia, Abyssinia, and other parts of North-Eastern Africa 

 that lie between the river Nile and the Red Sea. The 

 Nubian wild ass "is a fine animal, standing between 13 

 and 14 hands at the shoulder. It lives in small herds 

 or families of four or five individuals, and is not found 

 in mountainous districts, but frequents low stony hills 

 and arid desert - wastes. It is as a general rule an 

 alert animal and difficult to approach, and so fleet 

 and enduring that, excepting in the case of foals and 

 mares heavy in young, it cannot be overtaken even by 

 a well-mounted horseman. Notwithstanding the scanty 

 nature of the herbage in the districts they frequent, 

 these desert-bred asses are always in good condition. 

 They travel long distances to water at night, but appear 

 to require to drink regularly. Their flesh is eaten by the 



