386 Animal Life 
inhabitants of the remote parts of Central Asia. They are of a reddish-grey colour, 
with the nose white; and are smaller than domesticated horses. They frequent 
the open plains, exhibit wonderful speed, and are extremely wary of man. 
The African Wild Ass is now regarded by all zoologists as the origin of our 
domestic animal. It is found in Abyssinia, the Nubian Desert and other parts of 
N.E. Africa lying between the Nile and the Red Sea. The body-colour exactly 
resembles that of our domesticated ass, and there is a distinct shoulder-stripe. The ears 
of African wild asses are much longer than those of the wild asses of Asia. 
The Somaliland Wild Ass is easily distinguished from the ordinary African wild ass 
by its more greyish colour, the entire absence of the cross-stripe over the shoulders, 
and the numerous and distinct cross-stripes on both fore and hind legs. The length of 
one obtained by myself in Somaliland measured seven feet two inches from tip of 
nose to end of tail, and its greatest girth was three feet nine inches. These hardy and 
powerful-looking animals are 
found in Guban, the great 
maritime plain between 
the Gulf of Aden and the 
Gulis range of mountaims in 
northern Somaliland. 
I encountered a large herd 
whilst marching through 
the desert lying between 
Hargaisa and Berbera. It 
was a wonderful sight to 
watch the strange animals 
go lumbering over the sand 
and rock, stirrmg up huge 
clouds of dust, and halting 
every now and then and 
turning round to see what 
was following them. They 
were found to be quite 
fat, although it was a 
mystery to me how they 
obtained enough grass to 
keep themselves alive in 
such a parched-up, desolate 
Han country. 
ar ae OR TIBETAN WILD ASS. The Asiatic Wild Ass is 
found in the vast open 
steppes in Syria, Persia, Afghanistan, the Punjab and Tibet, in which latter country 
it is known as the kiang. It is usually found in herds varying in number from four 
or five to thirty or forty individuals. The variety known as the kiang is perhaps 
the largest in size, reaching fourteen hands. Its colour is a rufous-bay, with a much 
narrower dorsal stripe than is found in the Indian form known as the onager. The 
Iiang inhabits the most desolate country in the vicinity of lakes and rivers. When 
stalking more valuable game these animals are frequently a great nuisance, as they will 
insist upon galloping down upon the sportsman to make out what he is. Where they 
are little molested they show but little fear of man, and will stand and gaze at him 
from a distance of fifty yards. In Tibet the kang breeds with the horse, and the 
produce is highly valued. 
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