52 THE EXISTING EQUIDAE [CH. 



period. It seems certain that neither Sarmatian nor Scythian 

 ever domesticated the wild ass, a circumstance probably due 

 to the fact that they had a more docile and serviceable animal 

 in the wild horses of the same region. 



On the other hand there is strong evidence that the Arabs 

 had domesticated some kind of E. hemionus from a very early 

 time, for we shall find later on that the Arab tribes possessed 



FIG. 26. The Somali Wild Ass 1 . 



asses from the dawn of history, and Strabo 2 when describing 

 the littoral of the Red Sea after Eratosthenes and Artemi- 



1 This illustration and the following are from photographs (copyright) of 

 the specimen in the Zoological Gardens taken for me by Mr W. P. Dando, 

 F.Z.S., official photographer to the Zoological Society. This animal had not 

 hitherto been photographed standing up. 



2 773 (Didot, 661, 18 sq.), fiovicrin&Twv travroLwv ^arrbv &\\uv re KO.I Tifjubvwv, 

 KO.I /ca/i^Xwv aypluv Kai t\a<f)wv /cat SopKadwv ir\rjdos tv CH)T$, KT\. 



