The kyang was doubtless originally intended by Providence to fulfil some good purpose, but having turned out a failure was located in Thibet, where it was probably considered it would not be much in the way; or else it was designed to take the place of the insect life on the lower ranges and act as a blister on the temper of the sportsman. The shapoo, limb of the devil as it is, has some good points in its favour—e.g. a graceful carriage, fine horns, and it is a desirable acquisition to the bag. The kyang has nothing to recommend or excuse it. It is an ugly, donkeyfied, fiddle-headed brute, with straight shoulders. In colour it is a mealy bay with a dark-brown hog mane, dorsal stripe and tail. Its head and ears are coarse and large, and its screeching bray is as unpleasant as its general appearance. Being absolutely worthless to shoot, it is always trading on that fact, and on the utterly false pretence that it is deeply interested in the actions and habits of human beings, particularly Europeans, is for ever thrusting itself into society where it is not welcome, thereby spoiling the sportsman’s chance of a quiet interview with the animal of his choice. The one trait in its character that might be reckoned as a palliation by an unduly benevolent commentator is that it appears not to be selfish. As soon as it thinks it has got a sportsman’s temper well under way, it will scour the country round for all its friends and relations, and assemble them to enjoy together the interesting spectacle of an angry man armed with a rifle that he dare not discharge for fear of alarming something worth firing at. Hints and persuasion are thrown away, and nothing but a declaration of war has the smallest effect on kyang. A skilful diplomat may occasionally gain a temporary advantage by misleading kyang as to his intended route—getting the kyang, for instance, to believe that he wants to cross a particular pass, and then, by taking advantage of cover, escaping up a side ravine; but as a rule the sportsman has only the choice of two alternatives: either to take the first opportunity of hiding and remaining hidden till the disturbance is over, or else going to some other part of the ground.
Measurements.
| Authority | Height at shoulder | |
|---|---|---|
| Col. Kinloch | About 14 hands | |
| Sterndale | 12 to 14 hands | |
| Major Greenaway | 5 year old female, 12½ hands | 5½ inches below the knee |
| ” | male, 13 hands | |
| The Writer | old male, 13½ hands |
LIII. THE WILD ASS (Equus onager)
Native names: ‘Ghor khur,’ Hindi; ‘Ghour,’ ‘Kherdecht,’ Persian; ‘Koulan,’ Kirghiz (Sterndale).
The wild ass is common in Persia and extends through Beluchistan and Sind to the Bikaneer Desert and Kutch, its southern limit according to Jerdon being Deesa, and its eastern 75° E. longitude. It is closely allied to, if not identical with, the wild ass of Assyria, Equus hemippus.
As south of the Indus the wild ass is by no means common, and is very shy and difficult to stalk in the open desert, comparatively few have been shot by Europeans. Sterndale, quoting Major Tytler, says that on the Bikaneer Desert the natives organise a hunt once a year to catch the foals for sale to native princes, and that a full-grown one has more than once been run down fairly and speared. The Beluchis also ride down and catch the foals, and shoot the full-grown ones for food, the ground there being favourable for stalking. A gallop after a wild ass should be exciting, but few sportsmen, the writer imagines, would care to shoot more than one specimen of a beast whose sole trophies are the hoofs.
Sterndale says they stand eleven or twelve hands at the shoulder, which is considerably smaller than the kyang.