KIANG AND ONAGER GROUP 177 



b. — Mane short and erect, basal portion of tail short- 

 haired, a dorsal and a shoulder stripe in the summer 

 coat, muzzle usually white or yellowish. The 

 Mongolian tarpan, E. c. przevalskii. 

 ii. — Front hoofs less broad, chestnuts on fore-legs only, 

 ears large, tail short-haired for a considerable distance 

 from the root, front of fore-legs yellowish or white. The 

 kiang and onager group, E. hemiofius, (Sec, of Asia. 

 II. — All the hoofs narrow and nearly alike in form. This 

 group includes domesticated and wild asses, zebras, and 

 quaggas, all of which are African. 



In addition to their broader front hoofs, the 

 members of the kiang group are characterised by 

 the absence of striping on the head, body, and 

 Hmbs, the general rufous or sandy colour of the 

 upper-parts, and the lighter tint of the under surface 

 of the body, part of the buttocks, and the limbs, 

 all of which may indeed be white. In all cases 

 the spinal region is traversed by a dark dorsal 

 stripe, varying in width in the different species ; 

 and occasionally faint bands are noticeable on the 

 shoulders, knees, and hocks. As a rule, the mane, 

 which is upright, and the terminal tuft of the tail, 

 are black. To a considerable extent the cry, which 

 in the case of the kiang has been described as a 

 shrieking bray, is intermediate between the neigh 

 of the horse and the bray of the ass, although 

 apparently nearer to the former than to the latter. 

 Kiangs and onagers are, however, distinctly less 

 noisy animals than the ass ; and in this respect 

 present, perhaps, another point of resemblance to 



M 



