ANIMALS. gQg 



they both unavoidably perish. But their address in this rapid 

 descent, is truly wonderful ; for in their swiftest motion when 

 they seem to have lost all government of themselves, they follow 

 exactly all the different windings of the road, as if they had pre- 

 viously settled in their minds the route they were to follow, and 

 taken every precaution for their safety. In this journey, the 

 natives, who are placed along the sides of the mountains, and 

 hold by the roots of the trees, animate the beast with shouts, 

 and encourage him to perseverance. Some mules, after being 

 long used to these journeys, acquire a kind of reputation 

 for their safety and skill ; and their value rises in proportion to 

 their farae.^ 



CHAP. III. 



OF THE ZEJSaA. 



There are but three animals of the horse kind.* The horse, 

 which is the most stately and courageous ; the ass, which is the 

 most patient and humble ; and the zebra, which is the most beau- 



2 Ulloa, vol. i. 



• As mentioned in a former note, there are other two spei-ies of the horso 

 penus, namely, the Dzig^ai and the Quagga. The mountain zebra, and the 

 Kebra of the plains, are also different species. The specific characters of 

 tlie dziggtai ai'e,— liis skio is isabella, or light bay in summer, of a clean and 

 thriving appearance ; of a redder hue in winter, and the hair very long ; his 

 mane and dorsal line, which enlarges on the crupper, are generally hl.ick ; 

 and his tail terminated by a black tuft. He is generally the size of an ordi. 

 nary wild horse ; and his proportions are intermediate between the horse and 

 the ass. He is probably the wild mule of the ancients. He lives in troo^js 

 in the sandy deserts of Central Asia. 



Messerschmit was the first who noticed this animal ; but we had no pre- 

 cise description, till it was given by Pallas. His name in the Mongol lan- 

 guage signifies l.n-ffa ear. His ears are miu:h longer than those of the horse, 

 but straightcr .nnd better formed than those of the mule. 



His head is strong and rather heavy ; the forehead narrow and flattened, 

 with a peculiar projection above the nostrils, from whence the nose suddenly 

 droops ; the bristles or beard numerous, and about two and a half inches in 

 length ; the mane .short and thick ; the chest capacious ; the back long and 

 curved ; and the crupper is somewhat thin : the shoulders are narrow, and the 

 limbs light; pasterns long, with the hoofs like thos(! of the ass; tho 

 tail resembles that of a bull, very thick at its base, is black, nearly two feet 

 long, with a thick tuft at its point, reaching nearly three inches bcyoud 

 his hock. 



2 u 3 



