74 INTRODUCTION. 



as the Koomrah/ which the Mograbins report to be 

 the offspring of a bull and mare, the Hippotaurus of 

 older naturalists. It is nearly allied to the true horse, 

 but small, a tenant of the mountains and distinct from 

 the wild ass which Pliny took to be the Onager 

 noticed by Leo Africanus, Marmol and lately by M. 

 Linant. 



Regarding Equus Caballus Equus Variusand Equus 

 Lalisio as belonging to the same tj^pe, the last 

 mentioned shewing an approximation to A sinus, we 

 take Hemionus and Onager or Hymar as belonging 

 to Asinus, although we may doubt the Kiang and 

 Kulan being identical with either, and A. Hippagrus 

 must be considered as absolutely intermediate. Be- 

 sides these two general types, there is a third entirely 

 confined to the South side of the Equator and belong- 

 ing to Africa, but distinctly separated by the uni- 

 formity of the striped liveries which invariably adorns 

 the three or perhaps four species it contains. 



The domestic ass supposed to be derived from the 

 wild Hymar of the desert and the horse of Asia, 

 enter at a remote period into the circle of human 

 economic establishments. The first mentioned, as 

 might be expected, resided in the same regions where 

 the dawn of civilization commenced, and gifted with 

 inferior powers of resistance, is presumed to have 

 been subjugated several ages before the second, be- 



* Koomrah, Cumri seems to be a Mauritanian mutation of 

 Hymar, mixed up with the Negro Kumrie, (white) the animal 

 being found in the snowy mountain range of Nigritia, and hence 

 also the idea that it is white. 



