HORSES. 



59 



only by the mane ; the colour of the rest of the upper parts varying from reddish 

 grey to fawn or pale chestnut, while the under-parts are creamy white. In some 

 cases there is a dark shoulder-stripe, while in others the legs are faintly barred 

 with rufous, and the end of the tail is dark. 



varieties and There are three varieties of Asiatic wild asses, of which the first 



Distribution. j s the kiang or kulan, of Tibet and Mongolia, characterised by its 

 large size, dark reddish colour, and the narrowness of the stripe down the back. 

 The ghorkhar, or onager, from Western India and Baluchistan, is a smaller and 

 paler -coloured variety, with a broader dorsal stripe, its general colour being 

 sometimes silvery white. Lastly, there is a third variety from Syria and Persia, 

 which apparently differs very slightly from these. In Western Tibet the kiang 

 lives at elevations of fourteen thousand feet and over, while in Cach the ghorkhar 

 is found at the sea-level. 



The Asiatic wild ass is remarkable for its fleetness and its capacity 

 for getting over rough and stony ground at a great pace. As a rule, 

 these animals inhabit desert plains or open rolling table-lands, and are generally 

 found in small parties of from two to four or five individuals, or in herds varying 

 in number from twenty to thirty or forty. In North-Western Afghanistan a herd 

 estimated to contain upwards of one thousand head has, however, been seen in 

 the month of April, and it is stated that the larger herds are composed solely of 

 mares and foals. In the districts to the west of the Indus the foals are born during 

 the summer from June to August ; and it is probable that the period of gestation 

 is about eleven months, as with the other members of the genus. 



The food of these wild asses consists in the lowlands of different kinds of 

 grasses, which are frequently dry ; but in Tibet it is chiefly composed of various 

 woody plants, which form the main vegetation of those arid regions. In the hills 

 to the west of the Indus these animals are to be found wandering pretty well 

 throughout the year ; but in the early summer, when the grass and the water in 

 the pools have dried up from the hot winds, the greater number, if not all, of the 

 ghorkhars migrate to the hills for grass and water. It is stated that in Western 

 India and Persia the wild asses are very shy and difficult to approach. This is, 

 however, by no means the case with the kiang of Western Tibet, which is one of 

 the most curious and inquisitive of all animals, frequently approaching within 

 fifty yards or less of any strange object. Indeed, these asses are often a positive 

 nuisance to the sportsman, as they will come up to him as he is engaged in a 

 stalk, and thus alarm and drive away his quarry. In Ladak I have frequently 

 ridden among a herd of kiang, who would gallop close round my pony in circles ; 

 and on one occasion a kiang, apparently actuated by extreme curiosity, walked 

 straight into the middle of my camp, where the cooking was going on, much to 

 the alarm of the Indian servants. 



The speed of the ghorkhar is so great that it appears to be impossible for a 

 single horseman to ride down an adult in good condition. It is stated, indeed, that 

 this has been done in Cach, but Mr. Blanford is of opinion that in such cases mares 

 in foal were the objects of pursuit. In the Bikanir Desert the foals are captured 

 during the summer by mounted parties of Baluchis, who, by relieving one another, 

 hunt them till they fall from sheer exhaustion, when they are taken and bound. 



