NATURAL HISTORY. 167 



' As ^heri a dull mill asse comes near a goodly field of come, 

 Kept from the birds by children's cries : the boys are overborne 

 By his insensible approach, and simply he will eat, [beat." 

 About whom many wands are broke, and still the children CHAPMAH. 



unequalled by the human race. The horse does not fight for himself, for his nature 

 is the very opposite of pugnacious ; the horse does not fawn, for the spirit of the 

 ho r<o is noble ; but, if the expression may be used, he stands to his lider 

 more in the relation of companion and equal than any other animal stands to man. 

 There is, also, in the gratified look, the erected ears, the arching neck, and the 

 subdued and murmuring neigh of the horse, at the sight of that rider with whom he 

 h,vs ooeu long associated, something more touching or, if you will, more poetical 

 thju. IL the fawning of all the dogs in the world. Then there is no danger which the 

 nurse will not brave along with his rider, and on those occasions man very often 

 borrows courage of the spirit of the animal.* 



501. Why is the ass better kept on commons, than in meadowt 

 and pastures ? 



because it is naturally an inhabitant of the wilderness, and is 

 most at home browsing among rough and tall plants. In pastures, 

 although it becomes sleek and fat, it at the same time gets indolent 

 and less strong and enduring. Besides, if the ground is soft, the 

 hoofs of the ass, which are by nature adapted for hard and dry 

 surfaces, become enlarged and unnaturally extended, which makes 

 the feet unsightly, and the gait of the animal awkward 

 circumstances which do not happen when it is located upon 

 the dry common. 



502. Why is ass's milk so well adapted for invalids f 



Because it contains much saccharine matter, and but little 

 butter ; hence it is capable of being digested by stomachs unequal 

 to the task of assimilating the richer milk of the cow. 



5^3. Why are mules said to be stubborn ? 



Mules are commonly used for travelling over mountainous 

 countries and dangerous precipices. They are chosen for this 

 purpose, because they are sure-footed, and have great powers of 

 endurance. Being frequently heavily burdened they acquire a 

 habit of treading with great caution ; and this necessity influencing 

 the habits of successive generations, has imparted to them, 

 vhen travelling on ordinary roads, an ah- of sluggishness nd 

 sdf-wilL 



Partington's " Cyclopaedia.** 



