THE ASS 221 



of the hard, dry grasses growing in semi-desert 

 districts of North-eastern Africa, 



In the domesticated condition asses are now 

 spread over a very large part of the warmer regions 

 of the Old World, including Southern and Central 

 Europe, the whole of Eastern and Southern Asia, 

 and Northern and Eastern Africa ; while they are 

 also common in many parts of South America, 

 where some of them have run wild. Asses that 

 have reverted to the wild state are also found in the 

 island of Socotra ; and they are also stated to have 

 formerly existed in that condition in Sardinia and 

 some of the islands of the Grecian Archipelago. 



The feral asses of Socotra, which are of the 

 Nubian type, although with the above-mentioned 

 blackish patch at the base of the backs of the ears, 

 closely resemble their wild progenitors, being all 

 coloured alike. The same is the case with many of 

 the less altered domesticated breeds, notably the 

 "gadas" of India. On the other hand, there are 

 many breeds which depart markedly from the wild 

 ancestral type in the matter of colour, and in some 

 cases also in their superiority of stature, or in the 

 length and thickness of the winter coat. The colour 

 variation is, however, much less marked than in the 

 case of the horse ; bay, chestnut, and true dun being 

 almost unknown. 



Throughout the East the ass is much more exten- 

 sively used for riding and in agricultural operations 



