CATALOGUE. 191 



? Var. E. Hemioni, Pallas, in Nov. Comm. Petrop. XIX. 

 p. 394. 



The KIANG, Walker, Journ. As. Soc. Beng. XVII. pt. II. 

 p. 1, with a figure. 



KIANG, or KYANG, of the inhabitants of Ladakh, Moor- 

 croft, Strachey. 



HAB. Tibet, Ladakh, Moorcroft, Strachey. 



A. Capt. R. Strachey "s Collection in Ladakh. 



Several varieties, or species (?), of the Wild Ass are enumerated by 

 Indian travellers and zoologists, whose history and character remain for 

 future determination : namely, the Dziggetai, or Equus hemionus, of 

 Pallas ; the Gurkhor, or Ghorkhur (Quere from " Ghora," a horse, and 

 " Khur," an ass, literally " Equus asinus," Hutton, J. A. S. B., XV. 

 p. 146) ; the Wild Ass, of Kutch and the Indus ; and the Kiang, or 

 Kyang, of the plains of Tibet. 



By Mr. Gray (Knowsley Menagerie, p. 71), Colonel Sykes (Proceed. 

 Zool. 1837, p. 91), and several other Zoologists, the Ghorkhur is con- 

 sidered identical with the Equus hemionus of Pallas. In his account of 

 the Kiang (Journ. As. Soc. Beng. XVII. p. 2), Dr. H. Walker asserts 

 that the Kiang is the same animal as the Dziggetai of Pallas. In some 

 remarks in Capt. Button's " Notes on the Zoology of Candahar," Mr. 

 Blyth informs us that his doubts on the identity of the " Kyang " of 

 Tibet with the Ghorkhur, were completely settled in the affirmative by a 

 specimen of the Kyang which the Society received from G. T. Lushing- 

 ton of Almorah (J. A. S. B. XV. p. 146) ; whereas Moorcroft (Travels, 

 I. p. 312) states, " in the eastern parts of Ladakh is a nondescript 

 wild variety of horse, which I may call Equus Hang. It is perhaps 

 more of an ass than a horse, but its ears are shorter, and it is certainly 

 not the Gur-khor or Wild Ass of Sindh." 



In the same volume, p. 442, Moorcroft communicates some further 

 remarks. " We saw many large herds of the Kiang, and I made 

 numerous attempts to bring one down, but with invariably bad success. 

 Some were wounded, but not sufficiently to check their speed, and they 

 quickly bounded up the rocks, where it was impossible to follow. They 

 would afford excellent sport to four or five men well mounted, but a 

 single individual has no chance. The Kiang allows his pursuer to 

 approach no nearer than five or six hundred yards ; he then trots off, 

 turns, looks, and waits until you are almost within distance, when he is 

 off again. If fired at he is frightened, and scampers off altogether. 



