3IO ^SSES. 



Abyssinian variety. It is generally of a light mouse or ash 

 colour on the head (with the exception of the muzzle), and 

 on the upper parts of the neck, shoulders, back and quarters ; 

 and more or less white on the muzzle and under part of the 

 neck, chest, 5 and belly, and on the legs. Sometimes the 

 colouring is so faint that the animal's coat looks almost of a 

 silver white. It has not, or only to a slight extent in ex- 

 ceptional cases, the cross stripe on the shoulders. There is 

 a broad stripe, about five inches wide at the croup, down the 

 back, nearly similar to that of the Burchell zebra (see Fig. 183). 

 Adults are from twelve to thirteen hands high at the withers. 

 Its ears are not quite as long as those of the Abyssinian wild 

 ass. It is handsome, very fast, and extremely difficult of 

 approach. 



The Kiang {^Equus hcuiionus, see PI. 67) is the wild ass 

 of Thibet and Tartary. It seems to be identical with the 

 onager, except that it is different in colour, more heavily 

 built, on shorter legs, and that its stripe down the back is 

 narrower. The colour of the kiang is a rather light brown, 

 which is darker and redder than the light mouse colour of 

 the onager. The colour is not red enough to be termed a 

 bay. This ass is about thirteen hands high. It is far less 

 wary than the onager, and consequently falls a ready prey to 

 the cockney sportsmen who invade its domains in the high 

 table-lands of Thibet. 



The Mountain Zebra {Eqims zebra, see PI. 29) has a 

 more tufted tail, a scantier mane, longer ears, and a larger 

 head for its size than the Burchell zebra. As far as my 

 experience goes, it has a thicker neck, and its legs, especially 



