84 THE HOUSE. 



with his fore-feet to get at the herbage beneath. 

 Cattle, on the other hand, not having this instinct, 

 perish when left to themselves when the ground is 

 long covered with snow. 



Equus przewalsMi, Poliakof . — Much interest, not 

 yet thoroughly satisfied, has been excited among 

 zoologists by the announcement (in 1881) by M. 

 Poliakof of the discovery by the late distinguished 

 Russian explorer, Prejevalsky, of a distinct species 

 of wild horse.* One specimen, unfortunately, only 

 was obtained, while searching for wild camels in 

 the sandy desert of Central Asia near Zaisan. It 

 is described as being so intermediate in character 

 between the equine and the asinine group of Equidce 

 that it completely breaks down the generic distinc- 

 tion which some zoologists have thought fit to estab- 

 lish between them. It has callosities on all four 

 liinbs, as in the horse, but only the lower half of the 

 tail is covered with long hairs, as in the ass. The gen- 

 eral color is dun, with a yellowish tinge on the back, 

 becoming lighter towards the flanks and almost white 

 under the belly, and there is no dark dorsal stripe. 

 The mane is dark brown, short, and erect, and there 

 is no forelock. The hah is long and wavy on the 



* Proc. Imp. Russian Geographical Society, 1881, pp. 1-20, 

 translated by C. Delmar Morgan, in Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. (5) 

 viii. pp. 16-26 (1881). 



