256 A COURSE ON ZOOLOGY. 



ciently had great celebrity. These horses are docile, 

 gentle, patient, and courageous, sure-footed on difficult 

 ground, indefatigable ; they combine all the characters 

 required in army horses. 



In agriculture the horse is the most active and most 

 valuable aid to man. Even when it is dead its carcass 

 has a considerable value ; the hide, flesh, blood, fat, bones, 

 hair, mane and tail, hoofs, all can be utilized. In cer- 

 tain countries horse-meat is eaten, and there is no pos- 

 sible objection to the use of this meat as food if the 

 animal be killed when in a healthy condition. Horses 

 killed by accident might well be eaten, but it would not 

 be profitable to raise horses for food. 



The species of ass include the domestic ass and the 

 African and Asiatic wild asses. The domestic ass is a 

 descendant of the African ; the Asiatic species is light 

 in color, and has a dark stripe in the middle of the back, 

 extending from neck to tail. " On comparing the ass to 

 the horse, both in form and general aspect, we notice at 

 once," says Daubenton, " that the ass's head is larger in 

 proportion to the body than that of the horse ; the ears 

 are much longer, the forehead and temples furnished 

 with longer hair, the eyes less prominent, and the lower 

 eyelid flatter ; the upper lip is more pointed and over- 

 hanging, the neck and shoulders are thicker, the withers 

 are higher, the chest is narrower and blended with the 

 throat. The back is convex, and usually the spinal 

 column is prominent from its origin to the base of the 

 tail ; the haunches are higher than the withers ; the 

 rump is flat and hanging ; the long hairs of the tail are 

 confined to the last quarter of its length." The mane 

 of the ass is erect, not flowing like that of the horse. 



The mule is the result of crossing the horse and the 



