MUI.es. I (3tf 



cures, may, I believe, be ranked as another distinct 

 race. Adanson, a Frencli naturalist, who visited the 

 river Senegal, more than half a century ago, describes 

 those brought from the interior by the Moors, as so 

 essentially diiTerent from any he had seen in Europe, 

 (probably those of Spain, Savoy, or parts of Franco 

 adjoining,} it was with difficulty he could recognise 

 them to be the same species — neither do they answer 

 the description of the wild ass of Asia, of which we 

 have been speaking. But his account of them corres- 

 ponds with the diminutive domestic race introduced 

 from Africa, parti»"ularly those from Senegal and the 

 Cape de Verd Islands ; and from which the small race 

 now in Europe and in this country, may with great 

 probability claim their origin. 



The Arabian ass, hke the horse of that country, is 

 considered as the most estimable of his species — and 

 there are strong reasons for conciuding that he is 

 descended from the Hebrew Aton, so highly valued 

 by Abraham and by the patriai'chs, judges, and kings, 

 at subsequent periods of sacred history ; and that the 

 same race has been preserved in the ancient land of 

 Uz, in some degree of purity to the present time 

 Indeed, there can be but little doubt on the subject, 

 if we admit the fact, that the habits, manners, and pur 

 suits of the descendants of Ishmael have continued, 

 with scarcely an iota of variation, from the day they 

 took rank among the nations of the earth. The 

 position is greatly strengthened by the information J 



distinct from the ass; and BafFon asserts that none were ever dis 

 covered out of Africa, and there only in the southern hemisphere 

 It is therefore highly probable, that those alluded to were the heinu 

 onus, which aire dcL/cribed as much larger than tlie wild ass, and 

 nearer the size and form of the zebra. See Beloe'b Ilerodolue, 

 l^olymnia, chap. 86. 



