WILD TARPAN AND ITS RELATIONS iii 



is only reasonable to presume that differences in 

 climatic conditions and in the mode of treatment 

 and selection, coupled in all probability by an 

 admixture of different kinds of alien blood, would 

 produce a marked difference between the eastern 

 and western domesticated stock. 



Reverting to the Far East, it is important to 

 observe that, as was long ago pointed out by Darwin, 

 in most of the countries lying to the eastward of 

 the Bay of Bengal, including Burma, Anam, Siam, 

 the Malay Peninsula and Islands, the Liu Kiu 

 Islands, and a large portion of China, the horse 

 is represented only by small breeds which come 

 under the designation of ponies. Among these, 

 the Burmese or Shan ponies, which are mainly, 

 if not exclusively, bred by the hill-tribes of the 

 Shan States, in the interior of the country, are 

 believed to be nearly related to the Mongolian 

 breed, although probably modified by the infusion 

 of foreign blood. In stature they are about the 

 equals of the Mongolian, and are strong and active, 

 although somewhat slow in their movements. On 

 the other hand, the still smaller but closely allied 

 Manipur ponies are much faster, and are used 

 by their owners for polo, of which game Manipur 

 is one of the original homes. 



Near akin to the Manipuris are the Batak or 

 Deli ponies of Sumatra, which are bred in the 

 Batak hills of that island, and are exported to 



