308 THE ONAGER. 



the Dictionnaire des Sciences Naturelles makes that 

 animal identical with the wild ass, but then there 

 is a species or race of wild asses of Persia without 

 the cross on the shoulder of the males, and therefore 

 wanting in the females : thus there would appear to 

 be no distinction between the two, but that one is 

 deficient in two of the usual number of teeth in 

 Equidae, and has a neighing voice, while the other 

 invariably brays and has the same dentition as the 

 ass : that the former seeks the plains and the latter 

 the mountains. Thus the Djiggetai, Hemionus, Mu- 

 lus Dauricus, Cappadocius, Kitscharah, and D'Jhen- 

 gli-Kitscharah appears to be that species which is 

 without a cross on the shoulder, or at least is but 

 imperfectly marked with one and is provided with 

 an evanescent spinal streak usually bordered by a 

 white line ; while the other is the wild ass or Kou- 

 lan of the Kirguise, Bucharians, Kalmucks, and 

 Northern Persians, the Ghoor-Khur of Afghaunis- 

 tan and the banks of the Indus, and partially the 

 Kuhr or Ghur of Western Persia, where it is con- 

 founded with the Hamar or Ahmar, Djaar of the 

 Arabs and Mograbins, and Daja-Ischake of tlie 

 Turks: it is the Baja Mural of the Tahtars, was 

 certainly known to the ancients by the name of 

 Ovay^og, Onagrus^ and was sometimes confounded 

 with the Hippagrus or Equiferus. We have there- 

 fore restored to the species the name of Asinus 

 onager. 



The Koulan is about twelve and a half hands 

 high at the shoulder and thirteen and a half at the 



