Waterbury evening Democrat., 1891-01-12
THE PRIMITIVE HORSE.
Wild Herds Which Are Supposed to be tn
 Original Stock.

Wild Herds Which Are Supposed to be the Original Stock.
 In the desert of Dzungaria, in small aesds, roam horses which apparently represent the primitive stocls-of the do mestic horse. This stock had until a few years ago been considered extinct. A few herds of tarpans, descendants of domestic horses which have become wild, and bands of wild animals not true horses, but more resembling the ass and l the mule, are to be found on the steppes | of Central Asia. The desert of Dzun- garia, south of Siberia, from which it is separated by the valley of the Amoor, and north of the Thian Shan mountains, which separate it from China, had been almost unexplored until it passed from | the dominion of the Chinese to that of the Russians. There, in 1881, the cele- brated traveller, Prejevalslzi, discovered a wild horse distinct from the tarpan, as well as from those wild species similar to the horse.
 | Those wild horses live in herds of from five to fifteen individuals under the direction of an old stallion. They are very suspicious, and rarely allow themselves to be approached within gunshot. Being extremely swift they easily escape the best-mounted hunters. The remains of one which after several fruitless pursuits Prejevalsdi succeeded in capturing are now in the museum of the Academy of Sciences of St. Peters burg.
 The mane is short and straight, and the moderately long tail is terminated by tuft of long hairs. The horse has warts on the hind legs as well as on the fore legs, peculiarity of the horse, dis tinguishing it from the other species ot the genus, which have warts only on the fore legs.
 The hoofs are full like those of the horse, and not compressed as in the other species; and, unlike the other species, the lower parts of the legs are furnished with long hairs falling to the crown of the hoof. The external ap
 pearance of the animal is very like that
 of small horse or ponya
 There are, among the representation:
 of Eguide of the quartenary epoch, en graved by primitive men on reindeer
 horn and ivory, discovered by M. Piettt in the caves of the south of France
 some very clearly representing horse |, with brush tail and short ears like
 those of the PrejevalsEi horse.
 | It is therefore reasonable to assum,
 that the wild horse of Dzungria is tn,
 true primitive horse, representing tn, , original of all the domestic races. It ii of all the species of the genus the on,
 having the most northern habitat. Tn, - fact explains why the domestic horse . supports so well the winters of North l ern Europe, while the ass is hard t,
 raise in the north of France. and cal } not live in Sweden.
 Furthermore, wild horses were stil \ living in the sixteenth century, in tn Vosges mountains, as was said by Elise,
 Roessiln, of Haguenau, in a book pub
 lished at Strasburg in 1898. The write
 says:
 Q Among the animals that are met il
 the Vosges mountains first to be noticed @ which would be a marvel in many coun Y tries are the wild horses. They l1ee Y in the forests and mountains, providin Q their own support, and breeding and in
 creasing at all seasons.
 s ''In winter they hunt for a shelte '. under the rocks, feeding like larg T game, on the "brooms, heaths an s branches of trees. They are wilde
 and more savage than are the deer c . many countries and are as hard to capt V ure as they.
 # ''Men become masters of them, a
 with the deer, by the aid of snares
 When they have succeeded in tamin
 and subduing them-a long and difficul e task-they would have horses of tn s best quality. These horses withstan the severest cold and are satisfied wit a the coarsest food. Their walk is sure = 2 their footing firm and solid, becaus IT they are accustomed, like the chamoi. e to run over the mountains and leap tn | rnnlrc ,,-I n Nnfn1n.n