374
THE CHINa horse.
(Daily Press, 1st June).
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
com-
as from mosquitos in summer, the mane is enormously developed, and stands high at both sides of the neck, only falling at the extremities. Even more characteristic is In the April number of the "QUARTERLY the tail, which is long and heavy, the hairs REVIEW" appears a very able article on the reaching almost to the fetlocks. In this origin of the domestic Horse, which is not respect the ma is a perfect horse; along without its special interests for residents in with the other variety of east and central China. The author is Professor J. C. Asiatic horses to be described below, the EWART, who has made the history and upper hairs of the tail are formed into a antiquities of the Horse a subject of special curious wisp, the purpose of which is not study. It has long been a moot point in easily to define. In disposition the animal natural history whether all the domestic is as markedly different as in appearance horses at present existing have proceeded from the K'u; it is sullen and slow in its from one or several stocks. Had the study movements, and has not the projecting eyes of the horse commenced in China there and vivacious habits of the other, nor is it would have been little difference of opinion; so friendly towards its keeper, having and the belief would have been general that always a reserve no matter how kindly at least three species have to be accounted treated. The Mongolian horse is well for in China itself, without reckoning the known throughout China, and till European and Indian breeds of comparatively recently was the only one with daratively recent introduction. The language which foreign residents came (to any extent) itself lends to this conclusion, there being in contact. Even the Ma has, however, two perfectly separate and dis inct names perceptibly changed of recent years. for the horse, applying respectively to two perfectly distinct types. "Our mas like k'us," the Hwang-hwang-chi Hwa Ballad third of the Luh-ming Decade of the Second Boook of the Shi King, tells us :—
"Our gallant steeds the açvins spurn, The reins are pliant in our hands; Urge on the line; nor crayen torn 'Tis Cheo's dire need our help demands." Going up the Yangtse River but a few months ago, the writer found the grooms speaking of their steeds as “shan k`us", but this term, he learnt, was never applied to the Mongolian ponies which annually come down in large herds from the porth, and which are always known as "mas". Now it is instructive to find that in the very oldest remains we have of Chinese literature, the so-called "Book of Odes" really to be translated "Classic of Ballads," the two names Ku and Ma are as clearly differ- entiated as at the present day. Along the southerly line
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[June 10, 1907. secure foundation, and we may accept without hesitation Professor EWART's judg- ment; but we are not at the end of the discussion, for the Professor has still another claimant to bring forward whose claim stands on nearly if not quite as good a foundation. The third claimant is the Russian Tarpan, au animal which is also very much in evidence in middle China. It is well known amongst sporting men that the colour of a horse has much to say to his qualities for speed and indurance, and at first sight the reason for this peculiarity does not seem very evident. Further investigation will, however, show that colour in a borse is associated with profound changes in his general anatomy. We have spoken of the peculiarities of the bay and the white, but there is a third scarcely less distinct, whose colouring is classed as dun. Dun is not a definite colour, but applied to various shades of mouse, fawn or even blue, which fade insensibly one into the other, and so have When in 1863 FANE'S and HOBSON'S come to have a general name applied. Now Horse left China, their mounts were sold the first thing that will strike one on on the spot and Mongolians from the breed examining a dun horse is that he has a dark ing grounds purchased nearly all, avowedly stripe all along his backbone, generally con- for the purpose of improving their stocks.tinued along the tail; the next is probably So jealous are these Mongol stud-keepers that he has ears long and close together, aud of their breed that they will not permit a almost like a mule's. Another thing found mare to leave the breeding grounds, whilst on examination is that more or less concealed the horses are all castrated. This practice under his dun colouring are certain bars or number of in- bas undoubtedly preserved the purity of the stripes, which taking a strain, as it bas prevented any other strain dividuals together, will be found to follow from getting a footing in China; and it is regular pattern. If we now look at his tail only of comperatively recent years that and his hindquarters, we will find that the horses have commenced to arrive from former is scantily supplied with hair, which western sources; between these western moreover, like the mule's also, has a ponies, and the intermixture of Arab tendency to form a brush at the end. The strain, the external appearance the animal is by no means a mule, as not only Ma has sensibly improved; while in does he breed, but what is more to the point, point of speed there is also a marked he "breeds true." Equally marked in his difference. Secondary this is the temperament; he is distinctly less intelligent change of colouring. Pure white is still than either of his congeners, is slow and to be found, but does not form as marked generally obstinate, more from a sluggish a characteristic as even a few years ago. indifference than from actual vice. He is The tendency is towards bay and iron not, in fact, a desirable animal. The Chinese grey and chestnut, formerly rare, are now language has evolved no special name for comparatively common. The disposition him, but in Russia he is known as the has also undoubtedly changed for the Tarpan, and is generally assumed to be a better, so that the Ma will in all probability descendant of the wild horse of the Steppes. soon cease to mark a separate strain. It is Now in the last century, taking as their worth while to lock back at his antecedents. guide DARWIN, naturalists were averse from He certainly at one time was an inhabitan: allowing multiple origins to our domestic of Europe. HERODOTUS speaks of the breeds, and so endeavoured to class all three wild white horses on the banks of the varieties under one species. Now, however Hypanis which can only have been these, this centralising instinct has been consider- but the name goes back much further ably modified, and Professor EWART is for we meet it in Icelandic Marr, a steed of disposed to make four species out of the which Merr was the female, German domestic horse, the fourth being the Lybian This animal does not exist in China, gives us Marah, a war horse, and Anglo- race.
so does not so much concern us. Saxon Mearh, while Irish Marc, and Welch
This March tell us of its presence in the British
dun variety, Professor Ewart Isles. verv
insist European naturalists
shows, is in very close accordance with the Celtic" appropriating the animal as the
wild horse of the Steppes, now known as horse, a title to which it is hardly in fairness Equus Prejevdlski, and he gives some char- entitled, as its most characteristic abode acteristic portraits of the two, exhibiting is certainly Mongolia. But can go their close correspondence in the details back even further, and find it an inhabitant we have pointed out. The colouring too of France during the European glaciation. shows a close correspondence, much closer, in fact, than will be found to exist between Amongst the engravings discovered on reindeer horns in the cave of La Madeleine many separate animals. Curiously we are is a horse whose identity cannot be mis- not without ancient notices of this horse, taken; he has the same straight neck, which CAESAR described as the German the same heavy head and jaws, the same Horse, and tells us he was neither good nor low withers, and upstanding mane, and handsome, in curious accord with the views curiously enough even the long tail with of the modern sporting man in China. the strange wisp at its commencement was not forgotten by the aboriginal artist. In Asia all the Mongolic languages have the same name of Marin or Morin with which agree the Chinese Ma, or Mo and the Korean Mal; while Japanese Uma winds up the long list.
for instance, we have Chinese 'u, Sanscrit arva, Zend acpo, Greek hippos, Latin equus from the latter the name xtending with the animal to old Irish ech, Cymric ep, old Saxon ehu, modern Persian asp. The type of this horse is well marked;
its colour varies, but in the main it may be described as bay, running to iron grey, but never to dun, nor noan, nor white. It has a small well set head, with prominent eyes, small
ears very mobile; arched neck with fairly plentiful mane hanging to one side, and good sized forelock. The withers are high, the limbs fine; the hoofs small and delicately rounded and the pasterns high and straight. The disposition is gentle, but readily excitable, and all the motions rapid and intelligent.
The Ma is in most respects the opposite. It is usually long, of less height, and its withers so low that the back and neck form almost a straight line. Its body instead of being deep is generally almost tubular, and its limbs altogether more coarse, and the bones massive and with larger joints. The head is shorter and wider, and the jaws heavier and more power- ful. The colouring and the arrangement of the hair is altogether different. Where uumixed, the colour is always white without a trace of stripe or bars, and the winter coat grows coarse and long, especially about the fetlocks. This is evidently intended as a safeguard in snowy wether. For the purpose of clearing the snow to enable the animal to get at his food when the ground is deep in snow, the hoofs are enormously spread out, and the metacarpal bones and muscles are strongly developed. To pro- tect the neck during the heavy snows and hitter cold of north Asiatic winters as well
to
we
1
on
The claim then of both Ku and Ma to specific rank stands on a practically'
HERODOTUS mentions yet a fourth variety amongst the people known as the Sigynnae, who inhabited the present plains Their Lurses are shaggy of Hungary. all over the body to five fingers in depth of hair; they are small, flat-nosed and unable to carry men, but when yoked to chariots they are very fleet." Evidently HERODOTUS had in his mind's eye the ancestor of the
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