EQUID^E. 



EQUID^E. 



Vaillant's time, as far as he can learn, has mentioned it, and he asks 

 whether it may not be an albino variety of the Zebra or Quagga, as 

 the ass is sometimes found of yellowish-white, without any cross, in 

 its domesticated state. 



Dr. Gray thus defines the family oi Equidce : " This family (which is 

 distinguished from all other animals by its undivided hoof, formed of 

 the two anterior toes soldered together, its simple stomach, and its 

 female having the teat placed on the pubes) may be divided into 

 two very distinct types of form ; the one, the Asses and the Zebras, 

 which are always whitish and more or less banded with blackish- 

 brown, and always have a distinct dorsal line, the tail only bristly at 

 the end, and have warts only on the arms and none on the hind legs ; 

 and the true Horses which are not banded, have no dorsal line, are 

 furnished with warts on their arms and legs, and have long hair on 

 the tail, from its insertion to its extremity." He further proceeds 

 with his definition thus : " Equidce ; Soliditngulce Autiquorum, 

 Cuvier, Ac. Genus Equus, Linnams : 



40. 



us jiqum, ijinnseus : 



fi 11 fi fi 



Denies incisores,. ; canine (mares), ; molars, = 



Pedes ungula indivisu." Dr. Gray then divides the family into two 

 genera, namely : 1. Eqv.ua, consisting of the Common Horse and its 

 varieties, Eqtius Caballus ; 2. Asinus, embracing the following species : 

 1. E. Hemionus; 2. E. vulgaris (and its varieties); 3. B. Quagga ; 4. 

 . Burchellii ; 5. E. Zebra. 



M. Lesson states that the Solipcdes, or Equidce, of Gray, comprise 

 only the genus Eqilus, which Dr. Gray has proposed to advance to 

 the rank of a family under that name, comprising the genera Equus 

 and Asinus ; but, adds M. Lesson, there is nothing to induce us to 

 admit a division which reposes only on superficial characters. 



Mr. Bell is of a different opinion, and in his ' British Quadrupeds ' 

 follows Dr. Gray in considering the Ass as belonging to a distinct 

 genus from the Horse, and he adopts Dr. Gray's family-name Equidce. 

 Mr. Bell makes the following remarks on the character of the Ass 

 and its nearest congeners as compared with those of the Horse, upon 

 which it had be,en thought necessary to establish them as distinct 

 genera in the family. After admitting the truth of the observation 

 t liiit, in the absence of any knowledge of the original condition of the 

 Horse, the question can only be considered with reference to the 

 characters of a domesticated and probably much altered race, he 

 reminds the reader, nevertheless, that as the distinctions upon which 

 the division in question is founded are structural, there is less danger 

 of error than if they had teen only those of colour or of general 

 form, and thus proceeds : " The character of the tail is one of the 

 most striking points upon which thia distinction rests. In the horse, 

 the whole of this part is covered with long hair, totally concealing 

 its actual form ; whilst in the whole of the others, the ass, the zebra, 

 the qnagga, the d/igtai, &c., it is only clothed with long hair towards 

 the extremity. The mane of the horse also is long and flowing ; that 

 of all the other species is short and upright. In the former animal, 

 the hinder as well as the fore legs are furnished with those warty 

 collosities, which iu the others, without exception, are found only on 

 the fore legs. Waiving some other particulars of minor importance, 

 there is one character which, if not in itself to be considered of primary 

 value, is yet interesting, and not unimportant as a collateral 

 distinction : I mean the general tendency of, the coloration and 

 marking in the two forms. In the horse's coat there is an obvious 

 disposition to the formation of small round spots of a different 

 shade or hue from that of the ground, and this is the case whether 

 the general colour be black, chestnut, or gray ; in the genus A sinus, 

 on the contrary, the markings are invariably disposed in stripes. 

 The zebra, the quagga, and the mountain zebra are examples too 

 familiar to require more than this allusion ; and in the common ass, 

 not only is the Fame tendency evinced by the cross-mark on the 

 shoulders, but in the young ass there are frequently observed some 

 obscure darkish bands on the legs. These tendencies to a peculiar 

 character of coloration and marking are well worthy of especial 

 notice in the Mammalia, among which will be found numerous 

 instances bearing upon the distinction of approximating forms. In 

 birds and insects it is still more general and striking, and has always 

 attracted the attention of naturalists ; but in the present class it has 

 certainly been too much overlooked." 



Geographical Distribution of the Equidce. Although the Horse, 

 th Ass, and the Mule, are now spread over the whole face of the 

 civilised earth, and although the Horse is found wild, or rather has 

 reverted to a wild state, in both the New and the Old World, there 

 can be no doubt that the form which we are now considering was 

 originally entirely confined to the latter portion of the globe, where 

 the truly wild species of the family, the Zebra, the Quagga, &c. are 

 still to be found in all their native freedom. And this leads us to 

 consider the time and the place where the Horse was first subdued 

 by the powerful hand of man. Mr. Bell, who appeals to the sacred 

 scripture* in proof that the Horse is of eastern origin, is of opinion, 

 from the same authority, that the Egyptians were probably the first 

 who broke the proud spirit of this noble animal, and reduced it to 

 obedience and servitude. The books of Genesis and Exodus abound 

 with passages which prove that the Horse had been long under the 

 dominion of man at the date of the events then recorded. It was 



expressly prohibited (Deut., xvii. 16) that the king should multiply 

 horses to himself, or should cause the people to return to Egypt, to 

 the end that he should multiply horses. Solomon however does not 

 seem to have regarded this prohibition, for his stables were filled 

 with these noble animals; he had 40,000 stalls of horses for his 

 chariots, and 12,000 horsemen. (1 Kings, iv. 26.) 



The grand description in Job (xxxix. 19-25) is familiar to most, 

 but Egypt (1 Kings, x. 28), and not Arabia, seems to have been the 

 source whence Solomon's supplies were obtained. In veiy early 

 Egyptian monuments the horse is seen in battle, and under circum- 

 stances which denote long subjugation and experienced training. 



It seems to be quite clear that the wild horses of Tartary are as 

 much the descendants of a domesticated race as the wild horses of 

 America, whose ancestors were introduced by the Spaniards ; nor 

 have we any evidence to show the time when the horse existed in a 

 primitive state of nature. 



The Equidce form two genera Equus and Asinus ; the species 

 however freely breed together in confinement, but the produce is 

 almost always, if not always, barren. 



Equus has the tail covered with long hair to the base, the fore and 

 hind legs with a wart (sallenders) on the inner side. The fur is dap- 

 pled, that is, marked with round pale spots, having a dark net-like 

 ground. 



E. Calallus, the Horse, is brown, gray, or black, with roundish pale 

 spots. 



The following are the synonyms and varieties of this jpecies given 

 by Dr. Gray in the ' Catalogue of the British Museum : 'f-Equus 

 anliquorum (Gesner). Equus Oaballus (Linnteus ; F. Cuvier jTischer; 

 Gray). Equus, Equa (Pliny). Horse (Pennant). Generous Horse 

 (Pennant). Cheval (Buffou ; Cuvier). Pferd (Rediuger). Ross 

 (Schrank). The Horse (Youatt). The Tarpan Wild Horse, primeval 

 bay stock (H. Smith). The Andalusian Horse (H. Smith). South 

 American Horse (H. Smith). The Parameros of Peru (H. Smith). 

 Mexican Horse and Seminole Horse (H. Smith). Feral Horses of 

 America (H. Smith). The Arabian Horse (Bewick ; Low ; Smith). 

 The Race-Horse (Bewick; Low). English Race-Horse (Smith). 

 Hunter (Bewick). The Old Irish Hunter (Low). The Connamara 

 Horse (Low). Black Horse (Bewick). The Old English Black Horse 

 (Low). The Cleveland Bay Horse (Low). The Suffolk Punch (Low). 

 The Clydesdale Breed (Low). Old English Road-Horse (Bewick). 

 Common Cart-Horse (Bewick). Improved Cart-Horse (Bewick). The 

 Barb of Morocco (H. Smith). The Bornou (white) Race of Africa (H. 

 Smith). The Dongola (black) Race (H. Smith). The Turkish Race 

 (H. Smith). The Persian Race (H. Smith). The Toorkee Races 

 (H. Smith). The East Indian Races (H. Smith). The New Holland 

 Horse (H. Smith). The Transylvanian Horse (H. Smith). The Mol- 

 davian Horse (H. Smith). The Greek Horse (H. Smith). The Spanish 

 Horse (H. Smith). Cheval d'Islande var., Islandicus (Quoy and 

 Gaim. ; Lesson). Equus Mongolicus (Lesson). Thibet Horse (Hodg- 

 son). Cheval a Port Frisses E. frisius (F. Cuvier). Equus Coballns 

 frisius (Lesson). Villous Horse primeval of the white stock (H. 

 Smith). The White or Gray Horse (H. Smith) ; Marengo, ' Bona- 

 parte's Arab.' The Crisp-Haired Horse primeval of the black stock 

 (H. Smith). The Black Horse the English Draught-Horse (H. Smith). 

 The Dun or Tan Horse (H. Smith). The Decussated Horse, or the 

 Eelback Dun Horse of Ukraine (H. Smith). The Myautzee, or the 

 Pied Horse of China (H. Smith). The Bhooteahs Ponies (H. Smith). 

 The Pickarrow Ponies (H. Smith). The Yaboos of Afghanistan 

 Ponies (H. Smith). The Hungarian Horse, with slit nostrils (H. 

 Smith). The Common Bashkir Horse (H. Smith). The Morea 

 Ponies (H. Smith). The Swedish and Norwegian Ponies (H. Smith). 

 The Shetland Ponies (H. Smith). The Galloway (H. Smith). The 

 Dartmoor and Exmoor Pony (H. Smith). Sardinian Wild Horse 

 (H. Smith). The Tatto, or the East Indian Pony (H. Smith). Tuttoo, 

 or Mahratta Pony (Sykes) ; sedulously propagated in the Deccan : 

 much used to transport luggage, and very vicious. Sykes. Tattoo, 

 or Hack Pony of Calcutta (Hardwick). The Tangum Piebald or 

 Skewbald Horse Equus varius (H. Smith). The Tangum, or Tang- 

 hans primeval Piebald Stock of Thibet (H. Smith). Skewbald of 

 Achin in Sumatra (H. Smith). Tangham of China (Hodgson). Tang- 

 ham of Lhassa (Hodgson). Tangham of Gyanche (Hodgson). Hubstee 

 of Deo Dharma (Hodgson). The Koomrah, or Equus hippcirgui 

 (H. Smith). The Koomrah Equus Lalisi (H. Smith). Hippargus 

 (Oppian). Boryes (Herodotus). Bourra of Koldagi (Ruppell) ; 

 Northern Africa: not gregarious. The Kuda or Saran Horse (H. 

 Smith). The Javan Horse (H. Smith). The Tamboro or Birma 

 Horse (H. Smith). Horse with a curled moustache on the upper lip, 

 of Asiatic Russia (Pallas). Horse covered with curled woolly hair, of 

 Asiatic Russia (Falk. ; Pallas). Naked Horse of a beautiful form, of 

 Asiatic Russia (Pallas). The Argamaki of Bocharia a white horse 

 with very close, minute, orbicular, brown spots, of Asiatic Russia 

 (Pallas). 



It is questionable as to whether there exist at the present day any 

 truly wild horses or descendants of an originally wild stock. Dr. Gray 

 observes that the figure of the Wild Horse, as given by Gmelin, very 

 much resembles the ponies left at liberty on the commons of Cornwall 

 and mountains of Scotland ; and it appears very doubtful if these 

 animals are not rather to be considered as domestic horses which have 



