THE ASS AND MULE. 673 



VI. 



THE ASS AND MULE. 



THE Ass. The ass is the humblest member of the horse 

 family, and is designated equus asinus. He was probably 

 the first subjugated by man; is the most patient, sure-footed, and 

 hardy. He was well known to the ancient Hebrews, as we 

 know from the four Hebrew words used in speaking of the ass. 

 From these four words it has been erroneously asserted th;it 

 there are "four different races of the ass family." 



Chamor is the Hebrew general name for the male ass, tame 

 or wild. Like the Spanish word, burro, it signifies reddish in 

 color. 'Air signifies a young male ass. Arod is the wild ass 

 mentioned by Job. Pere is the wild ass of Asia, formerly 

 found in Syria, and still found in Arabia and Persia. 



From the time Abraham went down into Egypt, and Pha- 

 roah took his wife, Sarah, the mention of asses as beasts of 

 burden is constant and uninterrupted to the end of sacred 

 history, while the horse was never spoken of until after sev- 

 eral generations, when Joseph gave the Egyptians corn "in ex- 

 change for horses, and for flocks, and for the cattle of the 

 herds, and for the asses." Xenophon describes the chase of the 

 wild asses by the soldiers of the army of Cyrus. Martial calls 

 it the pulcher onager the beautiful wild ass. Oppian describes 

 its beauty, fleetness, and untameableness. The fleetness of the 

 wild ass was so remarkable that the Persian monarchs took de- 

 light in their chase. Nadir Shah considered the running down 

 of one with his grey-hound as great a feat as winning a bat- 

 tle. Their flesh was esteemed as the most exquisite of venison. 



It is not likely these were the progenitors of the ass of 

 Spain and Malta, since speed is not a thing to degenerate so 



