300 THE ASININE GROUP. 



remain nevertheless in great vigour, and the males 

 of the asinine group diifer particularly from horses 

 in their mode of fighting with the teeth instead of 

 the feet ; for, in a wild state, it was observed by the 

 ancients and confirmed by more recent information, 

 that they destroy or disable each other, so that 

 males are comparatively rare. For the same reason, 

 in domestication, it is held dangerous to allow a 

 male ass to pasture in the same field where there is 

 a stallion. * 



The ass tribe has long ears, a short standing mane, 

 and the tail furnished with only a tuft of hair at the 

 end ; the hoofs form oval impressions, and sustain 

 short rather rigid pasterns ; the limbs are clean and 

 firm ; the croup narrow, and often more elevated 

 than the withers ; there are callosities on the ante- 

 rior legs only, and the hide is more dense and callous 

 than that of the horse ; yet none of the group can 

 sustain the same degree of cold, although they ap- 

 pear more insensible to intense heat, and are found 

 wild in Africa as far south as the line. The typical 

 colours of their livery are silvery grey and tawny, 

 in a wild state never passing into black or complete 

 white ; they have mostly a dark dorsal streak, less 

 distinctly seen in the females, and sometimes en- 

 tirely wanting in both sexes, while bars on the 

 joints are not uncommon, and a cross line on the 



* Aristotle had observed that the more powerful males 

 attack the weaker. — " Tandiu ilium persequuntur donee asse- 

 cuti ore inter posteriora crura inserto testiculos ejus evel- 

 lant," 



