THE ASSES ^ 1097 



animals, but although there are at least two well-marked varieties, Mr. Blanford is of 

 opinion that the whole of these form but a single species (E. hemionus). These 



asses have moderate-sized ears and rather long tails, and stand from 

 Asiatic Wild 



Ass three feet eight inches to four feet (eleven to twelve hands) at the 



withers. They have a dark brown stripe, sometimes bordered with 

 white, running from the back of the head to the upper portion of the tail, the fore 

 part of this stripe being formed only by the mane; the color of the rest of the upper 

 parts varying from reddish gray to fawn or pale chestnut, while the under parts are 

 creamy white. In some cases there is a dark shoulder stripe, while in others the 

 legs are faintly barred with rufous, and the end of the tail is dark.* 



There are three varieties of Asiatic wild asses, of which the first is 

 Distribution t ^ ie kiang or koulan, of Tibet and Mongolia, characterized by its large 



size, dark-reddish color, and the narrowness of the stripe down the 

 back. The ghorkhar, or onager, from Western India and Baluchistan, is a smaller 

 and paler-colored variety, with a broader, dorsal stripe, its general color being some- 

 times silvery white. Lastly, there is a third variety from Syria and Persia, which 

 apparently differs very slightly from these. In Western Tibet the kiang lives at 

 elevations of fourteen thousand feet and over, while in Cach the ghorkhar is found 

 at the sea level. 



The Asiatic wild ass is remarkable for its fleetness and its capacity 



for getting over rough and stony ground at a great pace. As a rule, 

 these animals inhabit desert plains or open rolling table-lands, and are generally 

 found in small parties of from two to four or five individuals, or in herds varying in 

 number from twenty to thirty or forty. In Northwestern Afghanistan a herd esti- 

 mated to contain upward of one thousand head has, however, been seen in the month 

 of April, and it is stated that the larger herds are composed solely of mares and 

 foals. In the districts to the west of the Indus the foals are born during the sum- 

 mer from June to August; and it is probable that the period of gestation is about 

 eleven months, as with the other members of the genus. 



The food of these wild asses consists in the lowlands of different kinds of 

 grasses, which are frequently dry; but in Tibet it is chiefly composed of various 

 woody plants, which form the main vegetation of those arid regions. In the hills 

 to the west of the Indus these animals are to be found wandering pretty well 

 throughout the year; but in the early summer, when the grass and the water in the 

 pools have dried up from the hot winds, the greater number, if not all, of the ghork- 

 hars migrate to the hills for grass and water. It is stated that in Western India and 

 Persia the wild asses are very shy and difficult to approach. This is, however, by 

 no means the case with the kiang of Western Tibet, which is one of the most curi- 

 ous and inquisitive of all animals, frequently approaching within fifty yards or less 

 of any strange object. Indeed, these asses are often a positive nuisance to the 

 sportsman, as they will come up to him as he is engaged in a stalk, and thus alarm 

 and drive away his quarry. In L,adakh I have frequently ridden among a herd of 

 kiang, who would gallop close round my pony in circles; and on one occasion a 

 kiang, apparently actuated by extreme curiosity, walked straight into the middle of 

 my camp, where the cooking was going on, much to the alarm of the Indian ser\ r ants. 



