THE ASIATIC STEPPES AND THEIR FAUNA. 117 



or any other wild dog, not more than the dachshund, the terrier, 

 or the spaniel from the jackal, not more than the pony from 

 the Arabian horse, or the Belgian-French cart-horse from the Eng- 

 lish racer. The differences between our domesticated horse and the 

 wild form which seems to me its most probable ancestor are indeed 

 important, but horse and kulan seem to regard themselves as be- 

 longing to the same blood, since they seek each other's company. 



When, on the 3rd June, 1876, we were riding through the dreary 

 desert steppes between the Saisan lake and the Altai — a region 

 from which I have drawn the main features of the above sketch — 

 we saw in the course of the forenoon no fewer than fifteen kulans. 

 Among these we observed one pair in particular. They stood on 

 the broad crest of a near hillock, their forms sharply defined against 

 the blue sky, and powerfully did they raise the desire for the chase 

 in us and in our companion Kirghiz. One of them made off as we 

 appeared, and trotted towards the mountain; the other stood quietly, 

 and seemed as if considering a dilemma, then raised its head once and 

 again, and at last came running towards us. All guns were at once 

 in hand; the Kirghiz slowly and carefully formed a wide semicircle 

 with the intention of driving the strangely stupid and inconceivably 

 careless creature towards us. Nearer and nearer, halting now and 

 then, but still steadily nearer he came, and we already looked upon 

 him as a sure captive. But a smile broke over the face of the Kirghiz 

 riding beside me; he had not only discovered the motive of the crea- 

 ture's apparently foolish behaviour, he had recognized the animal 

 itself. It was a Kirghiz horse, dappled like a kulan, which, having 

 strayed from his master's herd, had fallen in with wild horses, and, for 

 lack of better company, had stayed with them. In our horses he had 

 recognized his kin, and had therefore forsaken his friends in need. 

 Having come quite near to the Kirghiz, he stopped again as if to 

 reflect whether he should once more yield his newly -healed back to 

 the galling saddle; but the first steps towards return were followed 

 by others, and without an attempt at flight he allowed them to 

 halter him, and in a few minutes he was trotting as docilely by the 

 side of one of the horsemen as if he had never known the free life 

 of his ancestors. Thus we were able to confirm by personal experi- 



