WILD ASS OF ABYSSINIA.
Asses have always been in repute in the East, and much pains have been taken in their breeding. They are frequently mentioned in the Bible, from which it appears that white Asses were used by people of high rank, as may be seen from the following verse (Judges v. 10): “Speak, ye that ride on white Asses, ye that sit in judgment, and walk by the way.”
THE MULE AND HINNY.—The hybrid offspring of the Ass and the Mare is the Mule; while the Hinny is that of the Horse and female Ass. Of these the Mule is by far the larger, taking more the form and appearance, as well as the dimensions, of the mare; while the latter assumes so much of the nature and general appearance of the Ass as to render the breeding of it undeserving of attention.
ZEBRA.
(From the Living Specimen in the Zoological Gardens, London.)
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THE WILD ASS OF TIBET.—We are indebted to Dr. Sclater, the accomplished Secretary of the Zoological Society of London, for an interesting account of the various species of Wild Asses. The Kiang, or Wild Ass of Tibet, inhabits the high plateaux, at no less an altitude than from fifteen to sixteen thousand feet above the sea. It is a large animal, measuring fourteen hands in height, and is exceedingly swift and wary. The back is marked by a broad black line, but there is no transverse bar across the shoulders; it is probably the true Equus hemionus of Pallas. ([See figure, p. 295.])
THE ONAGER, or Wild Ass of the Asiatic deserts, presents several varieties. That variety which inhabits Cutch and Scinde is remarkable for its swiftness and difficulty of approach. It is closely allied to the Wild Ass of Assyria, named by St. Hilaire Equus hemippus. ([See figure, p. 311.])
