236 EQUID^. 



enamel ; and, in young individuals, there is often a small anterior molar 

 which is deciduous. The incisors have their crowns furrowed by a groove. 

 The canines are only present in males. The tail is moderately long with 

 long hair, the ears rather large and pointed, and there is a mane. The 

 female has two inguinal mammae. 



The skull is elongated, and the lower jaw is of great size and strength. 

 The humerus and femur are short, the fore-arm and shank are long and 

 partially anchylosed, and there is only one metacarpal and metatarsal bone, 

 the others however being represented by small bones called the splint 

 bones. Three phalanges complete the foot, the last of which bears the 

 hoof. The stomach is simple, the intestinal canal long and capacious, 

 and the coscum enormous. 



The animals of this family are peculiar to the old world. They com- 

 prise horses, asses and zebras, which are usually placed in one genus. 



Gen. Eqdhs, Linnseus. 



Char. — Those of the family, of which it is the only genus. 



It subdivides into horses properly so called, Equus ; asses, Asinus, 

 Gray; and zebras, Hippotigris, Hamilton Smith. Wild horses of a truly 

 feral type are at present unknown, but they have become almost wild in the 

 Pampas of South America. 



Asses. Gen. Asinus, Gray. 



Asses are distinguished from horses by their longer head and ears, 

 by the tail being covered with short hairs at the base and furnished with 

 a tuft of long hairs towards the tip and on the sides only, not throughout 

 as in horses. They also want the peculiar hard horny excrescences found 

 on the legs of horses, and have almost invariably a dark longitudinal 

 dorsal stripe. Several species of wild ass are now known to exist, one of 

 which is a native of the western parts of India. 



214. Equus onager. 



Pallas. — Blyth, Cat. p. 135. — Figd. P. Cta'ier, Mammif. 2, pi. 92 

 — E. hemionus of India, Auct. — Asinus indicus, Sclater. — Ghor-khur, H. 

 — Ghour, of Persians. — Koulan, of the Kirghiz. 



The Wild Ass of Cdtch. 



Descr. — Of a pale Isabella or sandy color above, with a slight hut dis- 



