36 THE EXISTING EQUIDAE [CH. 



had in 1900 and again in 1901 a zebra hybrid, the sire being 

 the Burchell zebra ( Matopo ' (Fig. 36) used in my telegony 

 experiments. In the case of her Kiang hybrid the period 

 of gestation was 335 days (one day short of what is regarded 

 as the normal time), but she carried her 1900 zebra hybrid 

 357 days, three weeks beyond the normal time. The Exmoor 

 zebra hybrids are as nearly as possible intermediate between 

 a zebra and a pony ; the Kiang hybrid, on the other hand, 

 might almost pass for a pure-bred wild ass. In Mendelian 

 terms the Exmoor pony proved recessive, the wild ass dominant. 

 In zebra hybrids the ground colour has invariably been darker 

 than in the zebra parent; but the Kiang hybrid is decidedly 

 lighter in colour than her wild sire, while in make she strongly 

 suggests an Onager the wild ass so often associated with the 

 Runn of Cutch. Alike in make and colour the Kiang hybrid 

 differs from a young Prejvalsky foal." This comparison Pro- 

 fessor Ewart was enabled to make by means of his hybrid foal 

 with the skin of a very young Prejvalsky foal (for which he 

 was indebted to Mr Carl Hagenbeck). 



" I have never seen a new-born wild horse ; but if one 

 may judge from the conformation of the hocks, from the coarse 

 legs, big joints, and large head of the yearlings to their close 

 resemblance to dwarf cart-horse foals it may be assumed they 

 are neither characterized by unusual agility nor fleetness. The 

 Kiang hybrid, on the other hand, looks as if built for speed, 

 and almost from the moment of its birth has by its energy 

 and vivacity been a source of considerable anxiety to its by 

 no means placid Exmoor dam. When four days old it walked 

 over twenty miles ; on the fifth day instead of resting it was 

 unusually active, as if anxious to make up for the enforced 

 idleness of the previous evening. In the hybrid the joints 

 are small, and the legs long and slender, and covered with 

 short, close-lying hair. In the wild horse the joints are large, 

 and the ' bone ' is round as in heavy horses. 



" As to its colour it may especially be mentioned that the 

 hybrid has more white around the eyes than the wild horse, 

 but is of a darker tint along the back and sides and over the . 

 hind-quarters. Too much importance, however, should not be 



