114 Defeription of the Equus Hemionus. 
pected in regard to an animal fo fwift, and at the fame time 
fo thy, that it carefully ¢huns all inhabited diftricts, and is 
fearcely ever to be found but in the mountainous deferts of 
Eaftern Tartary, between Siberia, India, and China. I have 
thought proper to give to this animal the Greek name be- 
mionos; which the ancient Greeks applicd not only to the 
mule, but alfo to a wild timid fpecies, capable of propagat- ' 
ing, fimilar in form to the mule, which were, in fome 
meafure, known to them, and which probably were the fame 
as the d/biggetai, Aviltotle is the firft author who mentions 
this animal, in the fixth book of his Natural Hiftory, where 
he diftinguithes it very clearly from that produced between 
the horfe and the afs, or the afs and the mare; and he gives 
it the name of hemionos, becaufe this fpecies, which were 
then found in a wild ftate in Syria, and exeecdingly timidy 
had as great a refemblance to the mule as the wild afs has to 
the tarnc*, This fuppofed fpecies of wild half-afs, nine of 
which were brought to Phrygia, under the reign of Phar- 
naces, where they were long preferved, and of which three 
were alive at the time when Ariftotle wrote, propagated re- 
gularly, and were therefore a peculiar f{pecies and not a 
baftard race. The fame author mentions this cireumfance 
expreisly, and alfo Syria the native country of the animal, 
m the twenty-fourth chapter+. This animal, admitted by 
Theophrafius, is mentioned likewife by Pliny }, whe gives 
Theophraftus as. his authority; and it is probable alfo that 
Aalian alludes to it in a paflage where he fays: “ In India 
there are herds. of wild horfes and. wild affes; and the wild 
a ! 
* Eis G2 ey Tupiee of murdycsver iypclovet, evzpov paver Tow Ex covduacma yireneruy 
inne mas ove, ofrecer Se rny div, Gems at of aypror cvot mpg TUS TypAtpYs, Te 
THOS Opacsorwres Acy Genres Eioly, Gierep of orc aypiot Mat rpcbovoly TRY TayuTnTE 
Diaptpovres, abras as hpucvos yawaow |e& arrArAov omutioy OF TrGey yap Twes se 
Dpuyiay emt daprane ce Oaprahale warspos, nai Qepceveow Erie ines’ De vev macy TPIS, 
ro Garay & inte teay dig perv, Ariftot. Hitt. Animal. lib. vi. Cap. 36. 
+ Ai Se ey tn Sopla rn varep cwrvire bun teves nes GxevovTes wm Thatucir, Lib, vi, 
cin. 24. * : : & 
+ Hift. Nar, lib, viii. cap, as. 
ae 
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mares 
