104 RETURN TO ST. PETERSBURG 



states that they are mouse-coloured, of a .lighter shade under 

 the belly than elsewhere, and that their legs are black below 

 'the knees and hocks. The ponies discovered by Prejevalsky, 

 are to be met with near Lake Lob Nor in Central Asia. 

 Dr. Buchner showed me the stuffed skin of a young Prejev- 

 alsky horse and the skull of a six or seven year old member 

 of that breed. He considers that it is a true horse, and that 

 it in no way furnishes a link between the horse and the ass, 

 with which opinion I fully agree, after having made a careful 

 examination of these specimens. The young animal whose 

 skin I saw, was of a light brown colour, with the hair of the 

 inside of the legs and underneath part of the belly, of a 

 lighter shade than that of the other portions of the body. It 

 had castors (chestnuts) on its hind legs as well as on its fore 

 extremities, and had neither a stripe down its back, nor 

 horizontal stripes on the legs, both of which markings I have 

 often seen on horses in India. The head and ears were 

 those of a horse, and the tail and mane were those of a 

 yearling brought up in a wild state. To judge by this 

 specimen, this breed differs but little from the ponies of the 

 Shan States (Upper Burma). All that can be said about 

 them with certainty, is that they are a wild race of ponies 

 which have probably never been subjected to the control of 

 man. 



The remarks just made suggest the question : what is 

 the difference between a horse and an ass ? Quoting from 

 Points of the Horse, to which book I refer my readers for 

 further information on this; interesting subject, I may state 

 that the ass has castors only on his fore legs. He has a 

 tufted tail, somewhat like that of an ox, erect mane and 

 no forelock. The horse has a bushy tail, drooping mane 

 and a forelock. The ass brays ; the horse neighs. The 

 dock of the horse's tail is much thicker and stronger than 

 that of the ass. The large family of asses consists of the 



