UNGULATA. 555 



Sumatra and Malacca. In this last, there is no mane, and 

 the general colour is black; but the back, rump, and sides of 

 the belly are white. 



Nearly allied to the Tapirs is the fossil genus Palaotherium, 

 found in the Eocene Rocks of France and other countries. 

 Many species of the genus are known, all seeming to have 

 possessed a short proboscis like that of the Tapirs. All the 

 feet, however, were tridactylous. 



Fam. 3. Solidungula or Equidce. — This family comprises the 

 Horses, Asses, and Zebras, characterised by the fact that the 

 feet have only a single perfect toe each, enclosed in a single 

 broad hoof, without supplementary hoofs (fig. 216, A). There 

 is a discontinuous series of teeth in each jaw; and in the 

 males, canines are present, but these are wanting in the females. 

 The dental formula is — 



r3— 3. . I— I , . 3—3. ...3—3 



t~. — ; ; c 



I— I -^ 3 — 3 3 — 3 ^ 



3—3' I— i'^ 3—3' 3—3 



The skin is covered with hair, and the neck is furnished 

 with a mane. 



The family Equida is divided by Dr Gray into two sections 

 or genera: Eqtius, comprising the Horse; and Asinus, com- 

 prising the Asses and Zebras. 



The genus Equus is distinguished by the fact that the animal 

 is not banded, and has no dorsal line ; both the fore and hind 

 legs have warts, and the tail is hairy throughout. The genus 

 appears to contain no more than one well-marked species, as 

 far as living forms are concerned — namely, the Equus caballus. 

 From this single species appear to have descended all the in- 

 numerable varieties of horses which are employed by man. 

 The native country of the horse appears to have been Central 

 Asia, but all the known wil'd individuals at the present day 

 appear to be descendants of domestic breeds. 



The genus Asinus is characterised by the fact that there is 

 always a distinct dorsal liiie, and the body is more or less 

 banded ; the fore-legs alone have warts, and the tail has a tuft 

 of long hairs at its extremity. The Ass is probably a native 

 of Asia (where the wild Ass is at present a native), and there 

 appears- to be little doubt but that the common Ass is merely 

 the domesticated form of the wild Ass {Equus onager). An- 

 other well-known species is the mule-like "Djiggetai" {Asinus 

 hemionus) of Central Asia. The striped members of .this sec- 

 tion are known as Zebras and Quaggas, and are natives of the 

 southern parts of Africa. 

 Section B. Artiodactyla. — In this section of the Ungu- 

 25 



