95 



Cutch and the Burmass river, would have to cross the Indus and its 

 branches to get to the north and west ; and as they are seen at all 

 seasons of the year in their Indian localities, I am quite eontent to 

 believe that the Dzeggetai of Southern Siberia and the Wild Ass of 

 Cutch are identical in species, and yet do not wander further than is 

 necessary for forage from their respective localities. I say little of 

 the advantage of domesticating this beautiful animal in Europe, 

 but I do say that it would be worthy of the reputation of the great 

 Society, to continue the attempt untU success crowned its efforts. 



" I have yet one other object in laying this paper before the Zoolo- 

 gical Society. I have stated the difficulties under ^hich I laboured in 

 obtaining themeans to enable me to assist my judgement with respect 

 toform. Language is sufficientlyprecise to enableus to judgecorrectly 

 of descriptions of colour in animals ; but the most lucid mind, and the 

 most studied terms and phraseology, cannot give just impressions of 

 the contour and outlines, in fact the ensemble of animals. I would 

 therefore through the medium of the Society's Proceedings call the 

 attention of naturalists, amateurs, and ordinary travellers, who can- 

 not even draw at all, to the means the camera lucida afFords them of 

 recording outlines with celerity and precision. I exhibit to the So- 

 ciety five sketches of the two Wild Asses in the Zoological Gardens ; 

 and though I do not profess not to be able to dravv^, I do not hesitate 

 tosaythat I can give muchmore conectfigures of animals byits means 

 than ^vithout it. It may be objected that the restlessness of animals 

 renders the use of the camera lucida abortive; but I say that the rapid- 

 ity with which the lines may be tracedwiththe pencil, enable a person 

 usingit to make twenty sketches, where the draughtsman wouldother- 

 wise make but one, and it will be hard if more than one of the tvt-enty 

 do not prove just. The five sketches exhibited were made in a few 

 minutes ; and only one proved abortive, making six attempts in all ; 

 and yet I have not used the camera lucida since 1830. The out- 

 lines have been subsequently traced in ink. I trust therefore this 

 notice may lead to its more extended use ; a use in natūrai history 

 that cannot fail to be beneficial to the science. One word in con- 

 clusion. I have been a declaimer in the Transactions of this Society 

 against the modern habit in natūrai history of generalization from a 

 limited number of facts ; and in pursuing the above inquiries I met 

 with a new proof of the risk to truth of such a system. In the hi- 

 story of the Domestic Ass it is stated, ' The countries most suitable 

 to the Ass are those of the south. Accordingiy it is in Persia, Egypt, 

 and Arabia that the strongest and finest varieties of this species are 

 to be found. Some, very dififerent from the small and feeble natives 

 of our climates, almost eąual the Horse in magnitude and stature. 

 Spain also possesses some fine races of the Ass, which are also occa- 

 sionally to be found in the southern pro^inces of France ; as we ad- 

 vance northivard, the animal diminishes in size and becomes more and 

 more difficult of preservation.' Opposed to this is the fact, that in 

 Westem India, which it will be admitted is sufficiently far to the 

 south, the Asses are not much larger than good-sized Newfound- 

 land dogs. They are used in droves to carry small loads of salt or 



