THE PEJEYALSKY HOESE. 19 



THE SKELETON.— The Zoological Museum of the Academy of 

 Science possesses only one skeleton of E. i^rjevalshii, and this is 

 incomplete. It consists of a skull, the vertebral column, the 

 innominate bones and the bones of the left extremities. It is 

 the skeleton of a young male (No. 3,092), killed by G. E. Grum- 

 Grjimailo, and presented by him to the Zoological Museum. It 

 is clear that measurements taken from it cannot give any exact 

 data as regards the dimensions of the bones of the mature E. 

 prjevahkii. In addition to this skeleton, the Museum possesses 

 nine skulls which belong to the skins Nos. 1,523 (18 to 20 months 

 old), 3,072 (10 months old), 3,074, 3,089 (18 to 20 months old), 

 3,093 (18 to 20 montlis old), 3,094, 3,087, 3,092 and 3,090. 



THE SKULL. — Craniometrical observations of the Prjevalsky 

 horse have already been made by my two j^redecessors, Poliakof 

 and Czerski.* Both of these undertook the measurements of the 

 single specimen that was obtainable at that time, and compared 

 the results with measurements of the skviUs of the Asiatic ass, 

 the African donkey and the ordinary horse. Czerski had richer 

 material at his command than had Poliakof, and his measurements 

 were more precise. He also employed the methods which Nehring 

 had described in his well-known work, " Fossile Pferde aus 

 deutschen Diluvial-Ablagerungen " (Landwirthschaftliche Jalir- 

 biicher, 1884), to which lie added certain measurements that 

 Nehring had omitted. At the present time, the Zoological Museum 

 not only jjossesses a far greater number of Prjevalsky horse 

 material, but also the number of kiangs and onagers has been 

 largely increased by many expeditions into Central Asia. Conse- 

 quently, more complete measurements can now be accomplished 

 than was possible in Czerski's time. 



Altogether I have made measurements of sixty-four skulls ; 

 namely, nine of the Prjevalsky horse, fifteen of the domestic horse, 

 one of the mule, eighteen of the onager, eleven of the kiang, six 

 of the ass, one of the mountain zebra, one of the Grevy zebra, one 

 of the Burchell zebra, and one of the Chapman zebra. Taking 

 into account Nehring's craniological measurements of the large 

 number of skulls in the Museum of the Berlin Agxicultural College, 

 we have now a very considerable amount of data at our command 

 as a means towards the solution of the question respecting the 

 nature of the Prjevalsky horse. 



I wish to preface the discussion of my measurements by a few 



* H. 4. IcpcKiii. OnHcanie KoueKqia nocrfeipeTHinbixb M.ieKojHiaromHxi jkh. 

 BOTni.ixb, coupaiiHbixT> HoBO-Cu6HpcKOK) aKcnejHiiieio 1885-86 r. DpHJOHieHie Kb 

 LXV-My TOMy aanncoKi Dmo. AKa4. HayKb. 1891 r. 



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