90 STUDIES IN THE EVOLUTION OF ANIMALS 



breeds of the Ass, and the dappled markings of others, we may 

 observe that a variety with Zebra-like stripes upon the limbs, to 

 the very hoofs, is not unfrequently to be met with in our island and 

 elsewhere, and sometimes even a double cross upon the shoulders 

 is to be seen. To what cause the Zebra markings on the limbs 

 (and we have seen them strongly painted in mules) are to be 

 attributed, it is not easy to say. Is there, or has there been, a 

 striped wild Ass indigenous in Asia, 1 or does this style of marking 

 proclaim a cross at a remote date with some African species of the 

 Zebra section ? ' 



According to my view, all Horses and Asses and Zebras were 

 originally spotted, or have descended from spotted ancestors. A 

 large number among the domestic Horses have retained, or perhaps 

 re-acquired, their spotting. From the spottings there resulted 

 stripings. The Zebras have retained, or may have re-acquired, their 

 striping. The wild and domestic Ass has got rid of both spots and 

 stripes, but in some instances it has retained, or possibly re-acquired, 

 some vestiges of striping. The same may be said of the self- 

 coloured Horse, especially the dun-coloured Horse, the Kattiawar 

 Horse, and the Mule. They frequently show vestiges of striping, 

 and, as I said, the domestic Ass in two cases had vestiges of 

 spotting or dappling on their flanks. 



When a character ceases to be useful, it begins to disappear, 

 and may become quite suppressed, while some other character 

 more useful may take its place. 



Fig. 55 is a picture of a ' Dhobi's ' Donkey. I got it copied by a 

 native artist. The original drawing is now in the Lucknow Museum. 

 I have seen a somewhat similarly marked Ass in a picture which 

 was hung in the refreshment room of the Army and Navy stores. 



1 We call the wild Ass an Ass, and the wild Zebra a Zebra, because they are differently 

 marked, but in reality they are both Asses. 



