THE QUEST FOR THE WILD HORSE 95 
The Mongol accounts of the wild horses, though 
equally positive, were less satisfactory. They were 
certain that there did exist wild horses in the same 
districts as the wild camels ; and they were also 
certain that these were distinct from the horse-like 
kiang, the wild ass of Eastern Turkestan and Mon- 
golia. The kiangs do, in fact, resemble a Mongol 
horse in many points. They have the same heavy 
head, square shoulder, chestnut colour, and short ears ; 
but they differ in having their lower parts almost 
white, and a true ass’s tail. They neigh, but also bray, 
and, when going at full speed, have the characteristic 
appearance of an ass with “ great ugly head stretched 
out straight before, and scanty tail straight behind,” 
as Prejvalski says. They are, in fact, probably only 
a variety of the wild ass of Persia and Western 
Turkestan. But the Mongol accounts of the wild 
horse were quite inconsistent with the description of 
the kiangs. “ The wild horses,” they said, “w r ere 
numerous near Lob-Nor, but were so shy that when 
frightened they continued their flight for days. They 
were of a uniform bay [? dun] colour, with black 
tails, and manes sweeping the ground ; and were 
never hunted because they were too difficult of 
approach.” Prejvalski obtained the skin of one of 
these wild horses ; but the evidence so obtained did 
not bear out the account given by the Mongols, 
who seem to have fallen into the usual error of 
imagining that in the “wild horse” they would find 
the species in a condition of original and primitive 
