THE DOMESTIC ABB. BM 



to keep a poor, wiaened. starveling drayman. for tin- public would immediately lay the fault 

 on Uie l>eer, and transfer their custom el- 



Tin- ilny Horse ia a Tery alow animal, and cannot he permanently quickened in bin pace, 

 even if tin- load be comparatively light Its breast is very broad, and its should.- thirk and 

 upright, the body larir- and round, tli.- l-ir* short, and th.- feet extremely large. The ordi 

 nary pace of the heavy Draught Horse is und.-r three miles an hour, luit \<\ a judicious 

 udniixtun- of the Flemish breed tin- |r- is nearly doubled, tin- i-nduntiu increased, and the 

 dimension-^ \'-ry slightly diminished. Th.- great si/>- of tin- dray II.. i-,. is required. not for 

 tin- absolute amount of pulling which it performs, but for the need of a large and heavy 

 animal in the shafts to withstand tin- extreme jolting and lettering that takes place at) the 

 springless drays are dragged over the rough M..H.-S nf th.- metro]M>lis. And as a t.-am of two 

 or thm- small leaden and on.- hup- whc.-l.-r would look absurd, it is n.-.-.|fni to have all the 

 Hoi-.-- ..f unit'.. mi diiii.-ii-i..ii- :md appeamnc.-. 



The geniiim- dray Horse is a noble U-ast. and it is v.-ry pleasant to see the kindly feelings 

 which exist betwe-n th.-m and their drivers. The long whip is carrie<l ujxin tin- drayman's 

 shoulders more as a badge of office than us an instrument of tortun-. and if used at all, it ia 

 gently laid UJHUI tin- Horse's back, accompanied with some endearing language, which is very 

 intelligible to the horse, but not to be comprehended by ordinary human intellects. 



ONE of the best Horses for ordinary heavy work is the CLYDESDALE CAKT HORSE, an 

 animal whirh has derived its name from the locality where it was first bred. It is larger than 

 tin- Suffolk Punch, and owes its origin to the Lanark Horse dossed with the large Flemish 

 breed. In temper it is docile, and it is possessed of enormous strength and gn-at endurance. 

 The pure breed is large and heavy, and is notable fora very long stride. When judiciously 

 crossed " ith other breeds it produces offspring which are extensively employed in the carriage 

 and for the saddle. 



SEVKKAL breeds of partially wild Horses are still found in the British islands, the best 

 known of which is the SHETLAND P<\ i 



This odd, quaint, spirited little animal is an inhabitant of the islands at the northern 

 .-xtiviuity of Scotland, where it runs wild, and may be owned by any one who can catch and 

 hold it. Considering its diminutive proportions, which only average seven or eight hands in 

 height, the Sheltie is wonderfully strong, and can trot away quite easily with a tolerably 

 heavy man on its back. One of these little creatures carried a man of twelve stone weight for 

 a distance of forty miles in a single day. The head of this little animal N small, tin- neck 

 short and well arched, and covered with an abundance of heavy main-, that falls over the face 

 and irresistibly reminds the spectator of a Sky.- terrier. It is an admirable draught Horse 

 when harnessed to a carriage of proportionate size ; and a pair of these spirited little creat- 

 ures, when attached to a lady's low carriage, have a remarkably piquant and pretty 

 appearance. 



M \\ has so long held tbe DOMESTIC Ass under his control, that its original 

 have entirely disappeared from the face of the earth. 



There are, as it is well known, abundant examples of wild Asses found in various lands, 

 but it serins that these animals are either the descendants of dom.-Mi< -ai.-d \ss-s which have 

 ,.,,.,|..,| f r .. m captivity, r null.-- l-i\\.-.-n ill'- ild :ind d'-m.-ti-- :mim.il- In size .nrl L-'-ii'-i.d 

 appearance tbe Ass varies greatly, according to the country which it inhabits, and the treat- 

 ment to which it is subjected. The Spanish kind, for example, is double the size of the ordi- 

 nary English Ass, and even 'the latter animal is extremely variable in stature and general 

 dimensions. As a rule, the Ass is large and sleek-haired in warmer countries, and small and 

 woolly-haired in the colder parts of the globe. 



Strong, sure-footed, hardy, and easily maintained, the Ass is of infinite use to the jx>orer 

 classes of the community, who need the sen-ices of a beast of burden, and cannot afford to 

 purchase or keep so expensive an animal as a horse. In the hands of unthinking and unedu- 



