410 UNGULATA. 



THE HORSE. 



The Horse, Eguus caballus (Plate XXXI), the noble companion of 

 man in the battle and the chase, in the labors of agriculture and com- 

 merce, is distinguished by the uniformity of his color, and by his tail 

 being ornamented with long hair throughout its entire length. Wild 

 horses exist both in Tartary and America, where they live in troops, 

 conducted and defended by an old male. We know that in the latter, 

 these herds are all descended from imported ancestors, and many 

 authorities consider that those that roam over the steppes of Asia are 

 likewise the offspring of domesticated parents. 



THE TARPAN. 



The Tarpan, as the wild horse of Tartary is called, is considered by 

 the Cossacks and Tartars to be a wild animal in the proper sense of the 

 word. It is small, with powerful legs, long pasterns, a long thin neck, 

 a thickish head, pointed ears inclined forward, and small, lively, wicked 

 looking eyes. A light or yellowish brown is the prevailing color of the 

 summer-coat, but in winter the hair becomes lighter, at times even 

 white. The mane is bushy, and, like the tail, is uniformly dark. Dap- 

 pled or black horses are rare. 



The Tarpans live in herds, numbering several hundreds ; usually the 

 larger herds are divided into smaller family groups, each under an old 

 stallion ; they live in the open steppes, but are not found in the desert of 

 Gobi, or in the highlands north of India. They migrate from place to 

 place, traveling against the wind, are very watchful and shy, and recog- 

 nize in good time the approach of danger. The leading stallion is the 

 autocrat of the troop ; at the sight of anything suspicious he raises his 

 head, advances, and when he thinks it advisable, neighs the signal for 

 flight. These herds of horses have no dread of beasts of prey, they attack 

 wolves without fear, and strike them down with their fore-feet. In the 

 combats between the males, teeth as well as feet are used, and the young 

 ones have to establish their right to found a family by a series of des- 

 perate duels with their seniors of the troop. 



The appearance of one of these herds as they sweep over the plains, 

 and career around any intruder on their domain, is best described in the 

 well-known lines of the poet Byron : 



