54 



THE ODD-TOED UNGULATES. 



sheep, which they defend vigorously against 

 the attacks of wild animals and especially 

 hyaenas. 



The Asiatic Horses approach more nearly 

 to the ass in the greater length of their ears, 

 in the nature of the dark stripe along the 

 back, in the greater thickness of the head, and 

 in the more delicately-formed feet. Like the 

 ass they have only a terminal tuft on the tail, 



and frequently a dark vertical stripe on the 

 shoulders, forming with the longitudinal stripe 

 on the back the cross common on the domes- 

 ticated ass. They are found on both sides 

 of the Red Sea. 



The African Wild Ass [Eguus tceniopus), 

 fig. 149, inhabits the districts east of the Nile 

 to the shores of the Red Sea. It is probably 

 one of the parent stocks of the domesticated 



.-■'^e^ 



ass, and in particular that of Egypt. It is 

 large and slender, of a pale -brownish or 

 grayish-yellow colour, with a very marked 

 cross, and some inconspicuous circular mark- 

 ings round the lower part of the legs imme- 

 diately above the hoofs. The mane is long, 

 the tail-tuft very long, the ears pretty long 

 but elegantly formed and sharp. The do- 

 mesticated ass of Abyssinia closely resembles 

 this species, which, with its markings on the 

 legs, forms the transition from the "tiger- 

 horses" to the wild asses of Asia. 



Among the two known species belonging 

 to Asia the Onager, the Gurkur of the natives 

 (iE". onager), fig. 150, approaches most nearly 

 to our domesticated ass. It inhabits the 



steppes of Asia Minor, Arabia, and Persia, 

 and extends as far as the frontiers of India. 

 The head is clumsy, thick and short, the ears 

 long, the mane soft, the tail-tuft pretty long. 

 The general colour is grayish-white, passing 

 over to a pale isabel-yellow. The brown 

 cross is bordered with white, but is sometimes 

 wanting. 



The Tibetan Wild Ass i^E. hemiomis), fig. 

 151, stands midway between the horse and ass. 

 The different names which the natives give 

 to this species, distributed over the whole of 

 the interior of Asia from the Kirghiz steppes 

 to Tibet and China, have given rise to 

 confusion. According to some of the more 

 recent authorities, whose opinion we share, 



