MASAI, TURKANA, SUK, NANDI, ETC. 



817 



village (luiing- the cla\tiiiu', and when half ^towh usiiallv acc'oiii])anv 

 their motliers to the pasture. 



Tiie Masai f're(|neiitly jiossess herds of (/onkei/s, and the.-e are driven 

 in at night within tlie thorn enclosure, though allowed otherwise to wander 

 ahc-ut uuhanniercfl insi(h^ the village. The as.s of the ."\lasai is the oi'dinarv 

 wild ass (the origin of our domestic dc^nkey) of North-Eastern Africa 

 {Equas itiniiojjus) ; indeed, it is almost impossible to see any difference 

 between the wild ass of Nubia and the Egyjjtian Sudan and the domestic 



455. MASAI DONKEYS 



ass of the Masai, which has now become the common domestic ass of 

 Ea^tern Africa and the Zanzibar coast-line. The African wild ass* is a 

 large beast of a pinkish grey colour, with a whitish muzzle and black nose 

 and lips. The mane is hlack, and so are the tips and rims of the ears. 

 There is a black stripe all along the back to the end of the tail, and 

 there is one broad stripe down each shoulder. Occasionally faint black 

 stripes are seen on the legs. This animal is more nearly related to the 

 wild asses of Asia than it is to the zebras of Africa. Its range in a wild 



* The Sonialiland fonu is a distinct si)ccics Avhich has no shoulder stripe, but 

 on the other liand, is distinctly barred on the legs with black stripes. 



