THE HORSE FAMILY.
SHETLAND PONIES.
SHETLAND PONIES.
SHETLAND PONIES.
This includes all quadrupeds that have but a single toe or hoof on each foot—the Horse, the Domestic Ass (or Donkey), the Hemionus (or Dshikketee), the Dauw (or Peechi), the Zebra and the Quagga.
The subjection of the Horse to Man may be traced back to the most primitive date. Moses recommends the Hebrews to have no dread in war of the Horses of their enemies. We read in the Book of Kings (I Kings iv, 26) that “Solomon had 40,000 stalls for his Horses, and 12,000 horsemen.” According to the same book, these Horses were bought in Egypt and brought into the country of the Hebrews.
The remote period to which we can trace back the Horse being employed as a domestic animal, renders it very difficult to determine its original country. Nor is it possible to state where the finest species may be found. The Arabian Horses have long been famous for their beauty and intelligence, the English for their racing qualities, the Norman Horses for their great strength, and the Breton Horses for their hardiness and good temper. And so on through all the different species of past ages, we might mention special characteristics for which they were famous; and in the mixed species which have been brought to this country from time to time, we find traces of these many good qualities.
It is the same with the smaller races of the Horse family, known as the Ponies. The various breeds have different characteristics for which they are noted. But the ones deserving of special mention belong to the race which are natives of a group of islands situated to the north of Scotland. These are called Shetland Ponies and are perfect Horses in miniature. Some of them are scarcely as high as a Newfoundland Dog, yet they are very strong, and will endure any amount of fatigue and privation.
DOMESTIC DONKEY.
DOMESTIC DONKEY.
DOMESTIC DONKEY.
The Ass, or Donkey, like the Horse, is the servant and helper of Man, but its domestication is of much less ancient date. The wild type of this animal (known under the names of Kiang, Koulan, Onager, or Dziggetai) is still a native of many of the Asiatic deserts.
They live together in innumerable droves and travel under the guidance of a leader, whom they obey with intelligent submission. If they chance to be attacked by Wolves, they range themselves in a circle, placing the weaker and younger members in the centre, when they defend themselves so courageously with their fore-feet and teeth that they almost invariably come off victorious.
The domestic Donkey carries the heaviest burden in proportion to its size of all beasts of burden. It costs little or nothing to keep, and requires very little care. It is especially valuable in rugged mountainous countries, where its sureness offoot enables it to go where Horses could not fail to meet with accidents.
In energy, nervous power, and in temperament, the Donkey even surpasses the Horse; and it has a greater capacity to endure fatigue.
ZEBRAS.
ZEBRAS.
ZEBRAS.
The Zebra is larger than the Wild Ass, sometimes attaining the size of a mature Arab Horse. The richness of its coat would suffice to distinguish this creature from every other species of the same genus. The ground color is white tinged with yellow, marked with stripes of black and brown.
This elegant animal is a native of the Cape of Good Hope, and probably the whole of southern, and a part of eastern, Africa. Travelers state that they have met with it in Congo, Guinea, and Abyssinia. It delights in mountainous countries, and, although it is less rapid than the Wild Ass, its paces are so good that the best Horses are alone able to overtake it.
The Zebra lives in droves, but is very shy in its nature; it is endowed with powers of sight that enable it to perceive from great distances the approach of hunters.
THE HEMIONUS OR DSHIKKETEE.
The Dshikketee in its shape and proportions seems to occupy a position intermediate between the Horse and the wild Ass. This indeed is implied by its name, derived from the Greek word hemionos, meaning half-ass. It somewhat resembles a Mule, but its legs are more slender and it is more attractive. Its general color is brown, with black mane and a black stripe across the shoulders; the tail likewise is terminated by a black tuft.
These quadrupeds inhabit the sandy deserts of Asia, especially those of Mongolia or the plains north of the Himalaya, and live in droves often consisting of more than a hundred individuals. Enduring and swift, they are not easily approached, but as both their hides and flesh are much sought after, they are often caught in traps arranged for the purpose, or are shot by hundreds lying in ambush near the salt meadows which they love to frequent. They were said to be as easily broken in as the Horses reared in our meadows and permitted to run at large till they are four or five years old.
The Quagga is smaller than the Zebra, and resembles the Horse in general shape. His head is small, and his ears are short. The color of head, neck and shoulders is a dark brown, verging on black. The tail is terminated by a tuft of long hair. It is a native of the plateaux of Caffraria, and feeds on grasses and shrubs, and lives in droves with the Zebra.
It is tamed without difficulty. The Dutch colonists were in the habit of keeping them with their herds, which they defended against the Hyenas. If one of these formidable carnivora threatened to attack the Cattle, the domesticated Quagga would attack and beat down the enemy with its fore-hoofs, trampling it to death.
The geographical range of the Quagga does not appear to extend to the northward of the river Vaal. The animal was formerly extremely common within the colony, but vanishing before the strides of civilization, is now to be found there in very limited numbers, and on the borders only. Beyond, on those sultry plains which are completely taken possession of by wild beasts, and may with strict propriety be termed the domains of savage nature, it occurs in interminable herds. Moving slowly across the profile of the ocean-like horizon, uttering a shrill barking neigh, of which its name forms a correct limitation, long files of Quaggas continually remind the early traveler of a rival caravan on its march. Bands of many hundreds are thus frequently seen during their migration from the dreary and desolate plains of some portion of the interior which has formed their secluded abode, seeking for more luxuriant pastures where, during the summer months, various herbs and grasses thrive.
The Dauw seems to take a middle place between the Zebra and the Quagga. It resembles the former in its shape and proportions, and the latter in the color of its coat.
This quadruped is a native of the Cape of Good Hope, and doubtless of many of the mountainous districts of Southern Africa. It lives in arid and desert localities, in droves, and is shy, and difficult to tame.