6s 2 ASSES, ZEBRAS AND EQUINE HYBRIDS. 



natives of the Soudan. The bray of the African wild ass 

 is said to be indistinguishable from that of the domes- 

 ticated " {Sdous, The Living Animals of the World). The 

 statement that this wild ass cannot be overtaken by a 

 well-mounted horseman needs proof, because the ex- 

 perience of Indian sportsmen has shown that the Onager, 

 which is probably quite as fast a galloper and as good a 

 stayer as the Nubian Wild Ass, can be caught by a capable 

 rider on a good horse, supposing that the ground is not too 

 rough. This subject is well elucidated by Mr. J. L. Har- 

 rington in Messrs. Tegetmeier and Sutherland's book. 



The chief characteristics which distinguish this ass 

 from other asses is the possession of a nearly vertical black 

 stripe running down the shoulders, from the front of the 

 withers ; and the narrowness of the stripe down the back. 

 These two stripes, which are, as a rule, only from a half to 

 three-quarters of an inch wide, make the well-known cross. 

 Sir William Flower states that the shoulder stripe is 

 " sometimes double, and not infrequently altogether ab- 

 sent." This wild ass is of a light mouse colour except 

 on the muzzle, under part of the body, and inside of 

 the legs, which are more or less white. Its coat, par- 

 ticularly in the case of the domestic ass, may vary from 

 white to a very dark brown, or even black, with tan 

 " points." Both in a wild and tame state, it frequently 

 shows dark horizontal stripes on its fore-arms. It re- 

 sembles the mountain zebra in having very large ears, 

 and a very large head compared to the length of its body. 

 From ancient Egyptian records we learn that this ass was 

 employed for domestic purposes in Egypt many centuries 

 before the horse was known in that country. Its introduc- 

 tion into Europe, however, has been comparatively of 

 recent date. It does not appear to have been known in 

 England before the time of the Saxons, and did not come 

 into general use until the beginning of the seventeenth 

 century. The largest and strongest breed of donkeys is 

 found in the French province of Poitou, where they are 



