1846.] Rough Notes on the Zoology of Candahar. 145 



Dozens of these animals are driven into Candahar every morning dur- 

 ing the fruit season, each carrying a pair of panniers loaded with grapes, 

 figs, pears, peaches, apricots, nectarines, plums, cherries, green-gages, 

 and melons. Latterly, also, from the difficulty and expense of procuring 

 camels for commissariat purposes, we used to hire asses, and found 

 them to be quick travellers, under loads of two puckah maunds each, 

 (160ibs). The Bokhara breed is very large and often white. These 

 animals are subject to swellings or tumours in the throat, from which 

 secretions of lime are extracted, often as large as a pigeon's egg, and 

 formed similar to the gravel stones in the human bladder. I send one 

 for analysis. 38 



No. 36. Mules are good, and often high-priced, especially riding 

 mules, which sometimes sell from 250 to 300 Co's. Rs. each. I do not 

 think any are bred in Afghanistan, but suspect they come from Mooltan 

 and the Punjab. 



No. 37. Equus hemionus. The Gorkhur, or wild Ass, I never saw, but 

 it occurs in the southern deserts, and in Gurmsail ; also in the neighbour- 

 hood of Herat and in Persia. It is difficult to capture alive. They occur 

 also in Cutchee and in Guzerat. I heard a Bombay Engineer Officer 

 state as a fact, which he backed moreover by the authority of Capt. 

 Harris, of the same Presidency, (Author of ' African wild Sports') that 

 stallions of the wild ass were very seldom met with, and the reason 

 assigned was, that as soon as the young one was born, the old stallion 

 immediately castrated it with his teeth! ! This very marvellous story 

 was evidently believed by the gentleman from whom I heard it, but I 

 strongly suspect that if it really originated with Captain Harris, that 

 Officer must have been quizzing. One very simple reason against the 



38. Of this, Mr. Laidlay has favoured me with the following report :— 

 " The calculus submitted for examination weighed 237 grains, and had a specific 

 gravity of 1.81. Exactly in its centre was found what appears to be the husk of some 

 grain, (paddy ?) which served as a nucleus around which the chalky deposit accreted 

 in concentric layers. Its composition is 



Carbonate of lime, 89*0 



Carbonate of magnesia, 1*9 



Phosphate of lime, 1*6 



Animal matter (mucus and albumen,) .. 7-5 



100-0 



Corresponding with the ordinary composition of salivary concretions."— Cur. As. Soc. 



