58 



HOUSES. CHAp> u 



stripes which may be seen on black kittens. These stripes were distinct on 

 the hind-quarters, where they diverged from the spine, and pointed a little 

 forwards ; many of them as they diverged from the spine became a little 

 branched, exactly in the same manner as in some zebrine species. The 

 stripes were plainest on the forehead between the ears, where they formed 

 a set of pointed arches, one under the other, decreasing in size downwards 

 towards the muzzle ; exactly similar marks may be seen on the forehead of 

 the quagga and Burchell's zebra. When this foal was two or three months 

 old all the stripes entirely disappeared. I have seen similar marks on 

 the forehead of a fully grown, fallow-dun, cob-like horse, having a con- 

 spicuous spinal stripe, and with its front legs well barred. 



In Norway the colour of the native horse or pony is dun, varying from 

 almost cream-colour to dark-mouse dun ; and an animal is not considered 

 purely bred unless it has the spinal and leg-stripes. 31 In one part of 

 the country my son estimated that about a third of the ponies had striped 

 legs; he counted seven stripes on the fore-legs and two on the hind-legs 

 of one pony ; only a few of them exhibited traces of shoulder-stripes ; but 

 I have heard of a cob imported from Norway which had the shoulder as 

 well as the other stripes well developed. Colonel Ham. Smith 32 alludes 

 to dun-horses with the spinal stripe in the Sierras of Spain; and the 

 horses originally derived from Spain, in some parts of South America, 

 are now duns. Sir W. Elliot informs me that he inspected a herd of 

 300 South American horses imported into Madras, and many of these 

 had transverse stripes on the legs and short shoulder-stripes; the most 

 strongly marked individual, of which a coloured drawing was sent me, was 

 a mouse-dun, with the shoulder-stripes slightly forked. 



In the North- Western parts of India striped horses of more than one 

 breed are apparently commoner than in any other part of the world ; and 

 I have received information respecting them from several officers, especially 

 from Colonel Poole, Colonel Curtis, Major Campbell, Brigadier St. John, and 

 others. The Kattywar horses are often fifteen or sixteen hands in height, 

 and are well but lightly built. They are of all colours, but the several 

 kinds of duns prevail ; and these are so generally striped, that a horse 

 without stripes is not considered pure. Colonel Poole believes that all the 

 duns have the spinal stripe, the leg-stripes are generally present, and he 

 thinks that about half the horses have the shoulder-stripe ; this stripe is 

 sometimes double or treble on both shoulders. Colonel Poole has often seen 

 stripes on the cheeks and sides of the nose. He has seen stripes on the grey 

 and bay Kattywars when first foaled, but they soon faded away. I have 

 received other accounts of cream-coloured, bay, brown, and grey Kattywar 

 horses being striped. Eastward of India, the Shan (north of Burmah) 

 ponies, as I am informed by Mr. Blyth, have spinal, leg, and shoulder 

 stripes. Sir W. Elliot informs me that he saw two bay Pegu ponies with 



31 I have received information, colours of the Norwegian ponies. See, 



through the kindness of the Consul- also, < The Field,' 1861 p 431. 



General, Mr. J. E. Crowe, from Prof. s 2 Coh Ham gmith> \ m t. Lib > vol 



Boeck, Rasck, and Esmarck, on the xii. p. 275. 



