ITS NEAREST EXISTING RELATIONS 



79 



discovery by the late distinguished Russian explorer, 

 Prejevalsky, of a distinct species of wild horse. 1 One 

 specimen, unfortunately, only was obtained, while search- 

 ing for wild camels in the sandy desert of central Asia 

 near Zaisan, It is described as being so intermediate 

 in character between the equine and the asinine group 

 of Equidce that it completely breaks down the generic 

 distinction which some zoologists have thought fit to 

 establish between them. It has callosities on all four 

 limbs, as in the horse, but only the lower half of the tail 

 is covered with long hairs, as in the ass. The general 

 colour is dun, with a yellowish tinge on the back, becom- 

 ing lighter towards the flanks and almost white under 

 the belly, and there is no dark dorsal stripe. The mane 

 is dark brown, short, and erect, and there is no forelock. 

 The hair is long and wavy on the head, cheeks, and 

 jaws. The skull and the hoofs are described as being 

 more like those of the horse than the ass. 



Until more specimens are obtained it is difficult to 

 form a definite opinion as to the validity of this species, 

 or to resist the suspicion that it may not be an accidental 

 hybrid between the kiang and the horse. 2 



1 Proc. Imp. Russian Geographical Society, 1881, pp. 1-20, 

 translated by C. Delmar Morgan, in Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. (5) viii. 

 pp. 16-26 (1881). 



2 The brothers Grijimailo, in a paper published last year in the 

 Isrestija of the Russian Geographical Society (of which a transla- 

 tion will shortly appear in the Proceedings of the Royal Geographi- 

 cal Society of London), mention meeting with this wild horse in the 



