897 



EQUID.E. 



EQUID^E. 



ThU species is the Asinus sylvestris (Pliu.) ; Onager (P\m.) ; E, Asinus 

 Onager (Schreb.) ; Equus Onager (Brisson) ; Wild Ass (Bell, Heber) ; 

 Koulan, or Wild Ass (Penn.) ; Equus Hemionus. Wild Ass of Kutcli 

 and the Indus (Sykes) ; Asinus llemionu* (Gray) ; Equus Khur, Ane 

 Khur (Lesson) ; Wild Ass, or Gour(Ker Porter) ; Wild Ass, or Khnr, 

 of the Persians ; Onager (Xenophon) ; Hemione, or Dziggtai (Lesson); 

 Hymar, or Hamar of Mesopotamia (H. Smith) ; Asinus Hamar, the 

 Uamar (H. Smith) ; Charnor of the Hebrews. 



This species inhabits the plains of Mesopotamia, Persia, Kutch ; 

 shores of the Indus, Panjab. 



Mr. Layard says they are abundant in Mesopotamia, and are evidently 

 the Wild Ass of Xenophon. The adults are very difficult to approach 

 within rifle range. The young are sometimes caught alive. 



The Khur inhabits the deserts of Persia in troops, frequenting the 

 hills in summer and the plains in winter. 



Pallas, in a paper entitled ' Observations sur 1'Asne dans son Etat 

 nuuvage, ou sur le veritable Onagre des Anciens ' (' Act. Acad. Sci. Imp. 

 Petrop.,' 1777, 258. t. 11), figured a Wild Ass which was sent by sea 

 from Derbent to Astrakhan. The figure greatly resembles the mule 

 between the Hemione and the Ass now in the Zoological Gardens, but 

 the ears appear a trifle longer. It is coloured in the same manner as 

 the Hemioue ; that is to say, the more prominent parts of the body 

 are dark, and the middle of the back, the frout of the haunches and 

 thigh, and the under part of the body are paler. The figure represents 

 but a very indistinct cross-band ou the shoulder. 



This paper is translated into German, and a copy of the plates with 

 a second figure of the back of the animal is given in Pallas, ' N. Nord. 

 Beytr.,' ii. 22, t. 2; but in this figure the cross-band on the shoulders 

 is not marked. From this description it would appear that the animal 

 which is called the Wild Ass is not always marked with the cross-baud 

 on the shoulder which is so permanent in the domestic kind, and has 

 hitherto been considered as its specific character. 



The chief difference between Pallas's figure of the Wild Ass and 

 the Hemione is the greater length and more acute form of the ears ; 

 of the latter the mule varies in this character. 



Bishop Heber, as quoted by Colonel H. Smith, says, " No attempt 

 has been made to break the Wild Ass (of Kajpootana) in for riding, 

 nor did it appear that the natives ever thought of such. 



" The Wild Ass of Cutch has the cross-stripe on the shoulder, 

 and differs in colours and heavier proportion from the Wild Ass of 

 Ker Porter." 



Colonel Smith confounds the domesticated Gudha with the Wild 

 Ass of the Deccan described by Colonel Sykes, and states ou the 

 colonel's authority that " it is not larger than a mastiff." 



Eversmann says that many specimens of the Kulan, or Equus Onager 

 at I'allas, have been brought to Orenburg from the high steppes between 

 the Caspian and the Aral seas. A good specimen and a skull are in the 

 Museum of the University of Kasan. 



All these specimens are without the cross-band, and have ouly the 

 longitudinal dorsal streak. Everaniann considers that the cross-band 

 is either not the character of the species, or perhaps a sexual mark, as 

 he observes that he is not able to discover the specific character which 

 separates the E. Hemionus from the E. Onager. He further observes 

 th:it the Mongolians have no particular name for the E. Onager of 

 Pallas ; the Tartars no name for . JUemianus ; the Mongolians called 

 the E. Hemionus Ltehiggetei, or more properly Tschikitei, meaning long 

 ears, and the Tartars call the E. Onager Kulan. 



Eversmann remarks that Pallas (' N. Nord. Beytr.,' ii. 34) states that 

 the male M. Hablizl brought from Persia had no cross, but that the 

 female which was shot ou the Murecy had one. He proceeds to 

 calculate the length of the ears of these animals, compared with the 

 other measurements of them, and he finds that the ears of the 

 male appear to be considerably (near two inches) shorter in propor- 

 tion than the ears of the female. (' Bull. Soc. Imp. Nat. Mosc.,' 

 1840, 57.) 



The Mule with Atinus domeitictu has the short smooth fur exactly 

 like the sire, but with a short narrow cross-band on the shoulder ; the 

 ears rather longer and black-tipped. 



A. Hemionut, the Kiang. Fur short, smooth, bright-red bay. Legs 

 straw-colour (in winter long, rather woolly, grayish, legs whitish), with 

 a broad longitudinal dorsal streak, broadest over the small of the 

 bock, without any cross-band on shoulders. Skull : the infraorbital 

 foramen low down, in the centre of the space between the face-line 

 and the base of the teeth, and placed in a line over the back edge 

 of the second grinder, gome distauce in frout of the end of the 

 cheek-ridge. 



It is the Malta Daariciu ftecundiu (Messerschm, MSS.); Equus 

 II, m 'i'inu (Pallas) ; Erjuus Hemioma, Kiang (Ogilby) ; Equus Hemionos 

 (11. ..hi.); Annul Ifemionut (Gray); Equui Onager (Eversmann); 

 ( ? ) Arinut Onager, Onager Koulan, or Wild Ass of Tartary (H. Smith); 

 Aiinui Equioidei( Hodgson, Blyth); WildAss(Moorcroft) ; Ei/utu Kiang 



(Moorcroft) ; Equus variui, part. (H. Smith) ; Asinus pnlyodon ( Hodg- 

 son); Jikta(Shaw); Dshikketee (Penn.) ; Dgiggetai (Cuvier) ; Dzige- 

 thai (Butr.m) ; Wild Mule, Half Ass, or Fecund Mule (Penn.); Wild 

 AM ('English in Tibet'); Hemionos (Plin.) ; L'Heinionc ('Ency. 

 Method.'); the Ghoor, or Khur (Moorcroft, H. Smith); Wild Escl 

 ( Kversmann) ; the Kiang (H. Smith) ; Wild Horse (Oerrard). 

 It is fiiund in Tibet. 



This animal must not be confounded with the domestic asses which 

 are used for burden in Tibet. 



The male Kiaugs are larger and deeper coloured. They live in troops 

 of from eight to ten under the cure of a solitary male, where the 

 thermometer is below zero. They live partly on the plains and partly 

 on the mountains ; and the lower surface of the hoof varies considerably 

 in form and concavity, perhaps from that circu ustance. 



Dshikketee, or Wild Asa (Asinus Ilemionus), 



The Ghoor or Khur of Ludakh, according to Moorcroft, is white 

 about the nose and under the neck, the belly and legs ; the back is 

 light bay and the mane dun. They herd in droves, fly at a trot, stop, 

 and look back. 



Moorcroft saw the Kiaugs on the highest summits of Tibet, in 

 their shining summer coats and with their antelope form, scouring 

 along in numbers. 



Dr. Walker observes The Kiang neighs like a horse. The Wild 

 Ass of Cutch brays like an ass. The Kiang has no zebra stripes, neither 

 in the adult nor in the foal. The Wild Ass of Cutch : transverse 

 zebra stripes are seen on the shoulder in the adult, and still more in 

 the foal ; sometimes also the shoulder-cross has been seen. The 

 habitat of the Kiang is ou the high table-laud of Tibet; of the 

 Wild Ass of Cutch in the sultry plains near the mouth of the 

 Indus. 



The Kiang of Chinese Tartary greatly exceeds that of the Donkey 

 of Cutch in size ; the stallions often stand 14 hands high. Major 

 Charlton and Major Biddulph state that they neigh like a horse. 

 When taken young they will become so tame as to be led about like 

 a horse, and will follow horses almost anywhere. They live in a 

 climate where the temperature is below the freezing point in the middle 

 of the summer ; yet they throw off their pale woolly coat during that 

 season, and become bright bay. 



The Donkey of Cutch is often domesticated in India. 



(??) A. Equuleus, the Yo-to-tze. Yellowish red-clay colour. Tip 

 of ears, mane, long hairs of tail, well-defined line down the back to 

 middle of tail, and cross-band on the shoulder, three or four cross 

 streaks on knees and hocks, black. 



It is the Atinut Equuteus, the Yo-to-tze (H. Smith) ; Asinus Ilip- 

 pargus, the Yo-to-tze (H. Smith). 



Dr. J. E. Gray says, " The specimen described by Colonel H. Smith 

 was alive in a livery stable near Park Lane, London ; it was said to 

 have been brought from the Chinese frontier north-east of Calcutta. 

 It was most probably a Kiaug, or perhaps a mule between it and the 

 Domestic Ass." 



** Body with a black dorsal streak and many more or less distinct 

 transverse or curved streaks. Ears rather short and broad-tipped. 

 The Zebras of South Africa. 

 Hippoligris (H. Smith) ; Hippotigriiie group or Zebras (H. Smith). 



t Hoofs slightly concave beneath. Legs white, not or only slightly 

 cross-streaked. 



Living ou the open plains. 



A. Quagya, the Quagga. Brown ; head, neck, and withers, or front 

 of body, blackish streaked ; lower part of body, legs, and tail, white. 

 Hoofs flattish beneath. 



It is the Asinus Qaarjga (Gray) ; Equus Quoagga (Lesson) ; Equus 

 (iimyya (Gmelin); Female Zebra(Edw.); LcG'ouagga(Buffun ; Kwaggu, 

 or Couagga (Buff.) ; Opeagha, or Quagga (Masson) ; Jlippotiyrii Quacha, 

 the Quagga of the Cape Colonists (H. Smith); Quagga (Shaw); 

 Quacha (Penn.). 



It is a native of the Cape of Good Hope, on open plains. 



