THE ASIATIC WILD ASS. 29 



is readily domesticated^ and that they occasionally become 

 so tame as to be troublesome. Nevertheless, they are 

 usually described as exceedingly vicious, although they 

 are readily tamed, as stated by Mr. Harrington, and 

 demonstrated by his photograph, and General Sir Samuel 

 Browne informs me that these animals are generally to 

 be seen at every station of the Punjab frontier force, 

 from Kohat down to Eajanpore. He says that they 

 are perfectly domesticated, and so tame that they find 

 their way into the officers^ houses and into the men^s 

 lines, and even come into the mess rooms and force their 

 heads between the chairs to get bread from the table, and 

 he instances one which was so civilised that it did not 

 object to a little sip of pale ale. At various times General 

 Sir Samuel Browne had no less than three with his 

 regiment, and during the Mutiny one marched with the men 

 from Peshawur as far as Lahore. She used to be amongst 

 the officers' tents, roaming about the camp during the day, 

 invariably moving on to the next encampment with the 

 regiment. Another that was an equal favourite died from 

 burns consequent on her tumbling into a smouldering heap. 

 These animals, however, strenuously resisted being saddled, 

 possibly from not having been broken-in when young ; but 

 one was known to Sir Samuel Browne as having been 

 perfectly broken, and as being habitually ridden by a 

 Belooch chief named Beeja Kham. 



The Syrian variety of Asiatic wild ass, the Hemippe, is 

 so closely allied to the Indian form as not to demand a 

 distinct description. 



