8 PREJEVALSKY'S H0B8E. 



so-called wild horses of Tartary, whicli appear to be really 

 domestic horses that have recovered their liberty, and 

 maintains that it is a perfectly distinct species. In his 

 description he says that the specimen is about three years 

 old, its size is equal to that of the wild asses, but that its 

 head is better shaped near the end of the muzzle, and 

 has shorter ears than those of the wild ass. In shape it 

 takes after the horse, the legs being relatively thick for 

 the size of the body, the hoofs round and broader, and 

 the tail better furnished with hair than the wild ass. The 

 colour is dun, with a yellow tinge on the back, becoming 

 lighter towards the flank and almost white under the belly. 

 The hair is long and wavy, brick-red on the head, cheeks, 

 and lower jaw. The extremity of the nose is almost 

 covered with white hairs, in strong contrast to the red of 

 the other parts of the head. It has no forelock, but the 

 mane is short, upright, and ^' hogged, ^^ extending from 

 between the ears to the withers, and of a dark brown 

 colour. There is no dorsal stripe along the back, as in 

 the Asiatic asses. The upper half of the tail is the same 

 colour as the back, but it is longer and thicker at the root 

 than that of any kind of ass. The extremity of the tail 

 is covered with dark brown, or nearly black, hair. The 

 fore legs are brown near the hoofs and on the knees, a 

 peculiarity, he says, which is never known to occur with 

 wild asses, and dark hairs occur on the lower part of the 

 hind legs. The skull and the hoofs more closely resemble 

 those of the horse than any animal of the asinine group. 

 Such is Poliakof^s description of the animal ; commenting 

 on which Sir William Flower writes as follows : 



" It is described as being so intermediate in character between 

 the equine and the asinine group of Equidse, that it completely 

 breaks down the generic distinction which some zoologists have 



