WILD TARPAN AND ITS RELATIONS 85 



therefore only to be expected that in certain parti- 

 culars, such as the alleged smallness of the head, the 

 statement that the tail does not reach below the 

 hocks, and the absence of definite mention of the 

 white muzzle and the scanty hairing of the upper part 

 of the tail, it should not accord precisely with the 

 tarpan as now known to us. On the other hand, 

 the reference to individual variation in colour and 

 in the length of the ears is very noteworthy, and in 

 accordance with the facts. 



Before proceeding further, reference may be 

 made to the description and figure in Colonel 

 Smith's book (p. 304, pi. xvii.) of an animal for 

 which the author proposed the name of Asimis 

 equuleus. This animal was kept some time 

 previous to 184 1 in a livery stable in Park Lane, 

 and was brought to the notice of Colonel Smith 

 by Sir Joseph Banks, who had been informed 

 by Lord Rivers of its existence, and that it indi- 

 cated a new species brought from the Chinese 

 frontier north-east of Calcutta. According to 

 further information supplied at the stable, the 

 animal was said to have come from some part of 

 Chinese Tatary, that is to say, Mongolia. 



After mentioning- that at first he had some doubt 

 whether the animal might not be a variety of the 

 chigetai or the kiang, its describer proceeds to state 

 that, on examination, he was convinced it was 

 much nearer to the horse, adding that he believed 



