Aijriotype of Domestic Asses. Tj^T 



present cm the cms of two t'eral S)COtrun assos in the Britisli 

 Museum, thoiij^h con.siticrahly chirkfr in one than the other. 

 The interest ot this circnnistuncc lies in the faet that the 

 Jurenniners ot tliese a.ssea were introduced into Soet>tra, 

 aecording to Messrs. O^ilvie-Clrant and Forhe.s, at a very 

 leuiote ejioch, showing that in early times doinostie asses 

 pttssessed these ear-patches. 



The tour races ot African asses, then, may be distinguished 

 as follows : — 



(J. .A distinct nnd Inr^'o black or brown patch 

 at tlio bjwjt' oftlie ear aa well na at the 

 tip ; K'^'S the same tint as the body or 

 approxiuuitely so (domestic and pos^ibly 



wild forms) Subsp. asiiius^ Linn. 



«'. No hir^'e and distinct dark patch at the 



ba.«e of the ear; le^'s usually, at ail 



events, marki'dly li;;hter tlian the body 



and «itrij)eii or unstriptd. 



I'. Leg^s unmarked e.\ce])t for patches ou 



the fetlock Subsp. africanus, Fitz. 



b. Legs boldly striped. 

 c. Spinal and shoulder-stripes well deve- 

 loped Subsp. fcenioptis, Ileug. 



c'. Spinal and shoidder-stripea obsolete 



or nearly so Subsp. sovudietisis, Noack. 



1 take this o[)portuiiity of correcting one or two mistakes 

 that have apj)eared in literature with regard to the Ass of 

 tSuinaliland (/:*. a. somaliensis). In his description of this 

 jininial, under the name '^ surnalicus,^' Dr. Selater mentions as 

 distinctive leatures of this race the more flowing mane and 

 the shorter ears as compared with A', asirius africauiis. 

 ^Vha!ever may have been the case with the original specimen, 

 these remarks do not apply to the example, a very fine stallion, 

 now living in the Zoological Ciardcns. The mane is in no 

 sense long or tlow ing, and does not differ appreciably from 

 that of ordinary donkeys. Moreover, the ears measure from 

 the top of the skull just about 10 inches, whereas in the 

 alleged Nubian wild ass they arc 9^- inches, lie further 

 snys, quoting Mr. Loit Phillips, who was confessedly speaking 

 Horn memory, that one specimen stood 14 hands at the 

 %\ ithers. This guess has been repeated as an established 

 fjitt at least twice in literature J yet the fine male specimen 

 in cur Gardens does not exceed 12 hands at the withers. 



Finally, it has been alleged that there is no marked seasonal 



