HOUSES. 
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only by the mane; the colour of the rest of the upper parts varying from reddish 
grey to fawn or pale chestnut, while the under-parts are creamy white. In some 
cases there is a dark shoulder-stripe, while in others the legs are faintly barred 
with rufous, and the end of the tail is dark. 
Varieties and There are three varieties of Asiatic wild asses, of which the first 
Distribution. j s the kiang or kulan, of Tibet and Mongolia, characterised by its 
large size, dark reddish colour, and the narrowness of the stripe down the back. 
The ghorkhar, or onager, from Western India and Baluchistan, is a smaller and 
paler-coloured variety, with a broader dorsal stripe, its general colour being 
sometimes silvery white. Lastly, there is a third variety from Syria and Persia, 
which apparently differs very slightly from these. In Western Tibet the kiang 
lives at elevations of fourteen thousand feet and over, while in Cach the ghorkhar 
is found at the sea-level. 
Habits The Asiatic wild ass is remarkable for its fleetness and its capacity 
for getting over rough and stony ground at a great pace. As a rule, 
these animals inhabit desert plains or open rolling table-lands, and are generally 
found in small parties of from two to four or five individuals, or in herds varying 
in number from twenty to thirty or forty. In North-Western Afghanistan a herd 
estimated to contain upwards of one thousand head has, however, been seen in 
the month of April, and it is stated that the larger herds are composed solely of 
mares and foals. In the districts to the west of the Indus the foals are born during 
the summer from June to August; and it is probable that the period of gestation 
is about eleven months, as with the other members of the genus. 
The food of these wild asses consists in the lowlands of different kinds of 
grasses, which are frequently dry; but in Tibet it is chiefly composed of various 
woody plants, which form the main vegetation of those arid regions. In the hills 
to the west of the Indus these animals are to be found wandering pretty well 
throughout the year; but in the early summer, when the grass and the water in 
the pools have dried up from the hot winds, the greater number, if not all, of the 
ghorkhars migrate to the hills for grass and water. It is stated that in Western 
India and Persia the wild asses are very shy and difficult to approach. This is, 
however, by no means the case with the kiang of Western Tibet, which is one of 
the most curious and inquisitive of all animals, frequently approaching within 
fifty yards or less of any strange object. Indeed, these asses are often a positive 
nuisance to the sportsman, as they will come up to him as he is engaged in a 
stalk, and thus alarm and drive away his quarry. In Ladak I have frequently 
ridden among a herd of kiang, who would gallop close round my pony in circles; 
and on one occasion a kiang, apparently actuated by extreme curiosity, walked 
straight into the middle of my camp, where the cooking was going on, much to 
the alarm of the Indian servants. 
The speed of the ghorkhar is so great that it appears to be impossible for a 
single horseman to ride down an adult in good condition. It is stated, indeed, that 
this has been done in Cach, but Mr. Blanford is of opinion that in such cases mares 
in foal were the objects of pursuit. In the Bikanir Desert the foals are captured 
during the summer by mounted parties of Baluchis, who, by relieving one another, 
hunt them till they fall from sheer exhaustion, when they are taken and bound. 
