50 



THE EXISTING EQUIDAE 



[CH. 



According to the Book of Wonderful Stories 1 attributed to 

 Aristotle, one of the wild asses led the herd, and whenever any 

 of the younger stallions attempted to serve a mare, the master 

 stallion became furious, pursued the colt until he caught him, 

 then stooping down behind him he emasculated him with his 

 teeth. A like belief is still current in India respecting the 

 wild asses of Cutch. 



In early days the wild ass was well known in Paphlagonia, 

 for Homer 2 , when speaking of the Eneti who came from thence 



FIG. 24. The Nubian Wild Ass 3 . 



to aid Priam and the Trojans, describes their land as "the home 

 of wild mules." There can be little doubt that the wild mule 



1 10 (831 a 22) : 0a<rp ev "ZvpLq. T&V dypLdov ovuv eva d<f>T)ye'ia'6ai TTJS dye\rjs, 

 rts peon-epos U>P r&v 7rt6\a>p 7ri TWO, ^Xeictp dvaj3fi, TOP 



av 



rbv 



, /cai viroKti\f/as iri 



Bvfj.ov<rdai, KO.L 5ic6/cetp e'ws rofrrov 



OTrio'dia crK&'T) T< (rr6/u,an d,iro(nrd<rr] rd aldoia. 



2 II. II. 852, 'EperaV o^ep rajubvuv ytvos dyporepdiav. 



3 The illustration is from a photograph of the specimen in the Zoological 

 Gardens, Dublin, taken by Mr G. E. Low and given to me by my friend 

 Dr Scharff, the Director of the Gardens. 



