26 THE ASIATIC WILD ASS, 



" The above lias been conclusively disproved by H.H. the 

 Thakor of Morvi, whose State, which is in Kathiawar, is 

 situated close to the E,unn of Kutch, as the Onager has been 

 ridden down and secured on several occasions during a period 

 of three years, when riding them down was one of his highness's 

 favourite amusements, undertaken chiefly to disprove the 

 exaggerated opinion commonly held as regards their speed and 

 endui^ance. 



" On one occasion a band of eight wild donkeys were ridden 

 down and secured on the east side of the Eunn by a party of 

 five riders, or, to be more exact, by a party of three, as the 

 riding was really done by H.H. the Thakor Sahib and two of 

 his riding boys. The riders averaged about 9 stone in weight, 

 rode the same horses from start to finish, and kept together 

 throughout the whole of the chase. 



" As the above may not be considered a case of running them 

 down by a single horseman, perhaps the following instance 

 may suffice, viz., that on another occasion the Thakor Sahib and 

 his two riding boys separated ; the former succeeded in riding 

 one down single-handed, and without change of mount, while 

 the two boys secured another. 



" The horses used in these rides were Walers, Arabs, and 

 country breds, and in one ride where a wild donkey was secured, 

 a 13*3 Arab pony was used. The fact may perhaps interest 

 people that the country breds used were ordinary Kathiawar 

 cobs about 14*1, and in the case of the Walers and Arabs used, 

 no special selection was made of mounts, neither were the 

 animals in special condition for the rides. The following facts 

 will somewhat tend to discount the somewhat exaggerated ideas 

 held concerning the speed and endurance of the Onager. 



" The rides which ended in captures usually lasted about three 

 hours ; speed varied from a walk to a spurting gallop ; the 

 going was execrably bad, being chiefly ground covered at high 

 tide by the sea, and consisted for the most part of mud, in 

 which the horses sank fetlock deep, necessitating the greater 

 portion of the chase being done at a walk. The distances 

 covered in the dift'erent runs varied from twenty to twenty-five 



