ORDER PERISSODACTYLA I ODD-TOED UNGULATES 349 



to quite as early a date, and are probably much earlier. All our evidence 

 goes to show that asses had been tamed, and were used as beasts of burden, 

 both in Egypt and Mesopotamia, between 4000 and 3000 B. C., and may have 

 been domesticated at a considerably earlier date. 



On the island of Sokotra there are herds of wild or feral asses 

 closely resembling A. a. africanus in color but of smaller size (stand- 

 ing from 38 to 40 inches at the shoulder) . They are regarded as "the 

 survivors of Nubian ancestors brought from the Red Sea coast by, 

 probably, the ancient Egyptian incense collectors." Their introduc- 

 tion is presumed to date back "for some thousands of years" per- 

 haps a sufficient length of time for their insular habitat to have pro- 

 duced degeneration in size. "As they are never shot at and rarely 

 molested by the natives, they were by no means wild." (C/. H. 0. 

 Forbes, 1903, pp. xxxviii, 6, 9-11, pi. 2.) 



[There has been much discussion as to the possible existence of 

 Wild Asses in the Sahara. Tristram (1860, p. 318, as quoted by 

 Blyth, 1862, pp. 363-364) "heard that wild Asses were to be occa- 

 sionally found in the Soufa desert, on the route to Ghadames." He 

 was shown one that "had been caught when very young, and was 

 considered unusually tame for one of his species." It was "of a rich 

 slatish ash-colour"; dorsal stripe and shoulder stripe present; nose 

 and limbs white; mane and tail blackish. The adults were said to 

 be "very difficult to entrap and impossible to train." 



On a journey through the Tuareg country in 1913-14 Geyr von 

 Schweppenburg (1917, p. 298) learned that wild or feral asses were 

 not uncommon there in previous years, but by that time had virtually 

 disappeared, having been captured, shot, and fed to dogs. The local 

 Mohammedans did not eat the flesh. He was inclined to consider 

 that at least some of the asses were genuinely wild, and not merely 

 feral. He also mentioned reports of Wild Asses in this region by 

 previous travelers (Duveyrier, Bissuel, Benhazera, and others). 



According to Spatz (in Werth, 1930, p. 347) , these wild or feral 

 asses constantly molested the domesticated animals and often led 

 them astray. 



Antonius (1931, pp. 133-136, pi. 3, fig. 3) calls attention to some 

 wild-living asses reported by Fraulein von Wagner-Jauregg in the 

 Hoggar massif in the southern territories of Algeria, where the 

 Tuaregs distinguish them by name from the Domestic Asses. A 

 captured foal showed evidence of a strong wild-blooded component, 

 even if it coud not be considered a pure-blooded wild ass. It is feared 

 that these wild-living asses of the Hoggar will disappear if energetic 

 protective measures are not adopted. 



On the other hand, Hilzheimer and Spatz (Zeitschr. fiir Sauge- 

 tierk., vol. 17, p. 15, 1932) express the opinion that the animals of 

 the Hoggar are merely Domestic Asses that have run wild. Selous 



