Asiatic Wild Ass 285 



THE ASIATIC WILD ASS 



[Eqinis Iiemionus) 



Very few words will suffice with regard to the representatives of this 

 species found within the area under consideration ; firstly, for the reason 

 that they are of but slight interest to sportsmen ; and secondly, because 

 some considerable amount of space has been devoted to the forms 

 inhabiting Tibet and Baluchistan in the Great and Sum II Game of India, etc. 



The typical representative of the species is the chigetai, or dzeggetai, 

 of Tartary and Mongolia, with which the kiang of Tibet appears to be iden- 

 tical. This is the darkest and reddest variety of the species. The kulan 

 of the Kirghiz steppes to the north of the Caspian is generally identified 

 with the chigetai, but further comparisons between them are desirable. 



The other variety found in the area treated ot in this volume is the 

 Persian wild ass, or ghorkhar [E. hemionus onager), which is a paler animal, 

 with a broader dorsal stripe. The Syrian wild ass, the so-called 

 E. heniippus of E. Geoffroy St. Hilaire, appears inseparable from this form. 

 And it is doubtful whether the Baluchi wild ass is really distinct. If it 

 be so, it should be called E. hemionus itidicits, and not, as in Great and Small 

 Game of India, etc., E. hemionus onager, which is the proper title of the 

 Persian form, the E. onager of Pallas. 



It may be well to add that by Dr. Paul Matschie,^ of Berlin, six forms 

 of Asiatic wild ass are recognised, viz. — 



1. The true E. hemionus of Pallas, the chigetai of the Mongolians and 

 the kulan of the Tatars. 



2. The kiang — the E.quus kiang of Moorcroft — from Tibet. 



3. The Baluchi and Indian E. indicus. 



4. The South Persian E. hamar of Hamilton Smith. 



1 S.B. Gci. naturfor. Bcrtin, 1893, p. 208 



