THE ONAGER. 311 



animal is common in Khoten and in the country of 

 the Kalmucks; everywhere observed to have tlie 

 females numerous in proportion to the males, who 

 are accused of that species of hostility, already 

 mentioned, M^hich destroys or greatly reduces their 

 numbers. This species is noticed in the book of 

 Job, and described with the same manners it still 

 retains in Cutch, where Bishop Heber found it the 

 size of a galloway, beautiful and admirably formed 

 for fleetness and power, apparently very fond of 

 horses, and by no means disliked by them, in which 

 respect the asses of India differ from all others of 

 which he had heard : the same fact had been told 

 him of the wild ass of Rajpootana. " No attempt 

 has been made to break the wild ass in for riding, 

 nor did it appear that the natives ever thought of 

 such." In another place this learned and excellent 

 man remarks that the Cutch species has the cross 

 stripe on the shoulder and differs in colours and 

 heavier proportions from the wild ass of Kerr Porter, 

 and suspects that it may not be the ass but the 

 Onager (Hemionus) or wild mule, " a name which 

 I have also seen written Angra." These doubts of 

 the Bishop's are certainly legitimate, as we also 

 entertain them respecting some of the above men- 

 tioned Ghoor-Khurs. 



The Ahmar or wild ass stock of Northern Africa, 

 and probably the Djaar of Arabia, the theme of 

 glowing imagery in the inspired language of the He- 

 brew prophets, the object of curiosity in the Roman 

 shows of wild beasts, whose colts under the name of 



