CHAPTER X. 



ASSES AND MULES. 



\. THE MULE AND HINNY DEFINED. II. THE ASS. III. ANTIQUITY OP THE MULE. 



IV. BREEDING-JACKS. V. LONGEVITY OF THE MULE. VI. THE VALUE OF 



MULES FOR LABOR. VII. MULES ARE NOT VICIOUS. VIII. THE BREEDING OP 



MULES. 



I. The Mule and Hinny Defined. 



The word mule signifies a hybrid, that is, the offspring of animals 

 belonging to the same genus, and fertile one with the other, but of dif" 

 ferent species. Mules or hybrids are usually infertile, one with another, 

 and are always incapable of propagating the species indefinitely. As now 

 generally accepted, the word mule is used to designate the offspring of 

 the male ass with the mare. They have been known and bred since the 

 time of ^'emotest history, having always been prized for their longevity, 

 sure-footedness, and ability to labor in extreme heat. 



The Hinny. — The hinny is the produce of a she-ass, bred to a horse. 

 They were called hinnus by the Romans ; — hence, our name, hinny. 

 They resemble the horse more than the ass, just as the mule, sprung 

 from the mare and ass, resembles the male parent most. Hinnics are 

 handsome, round-bodied like the horse, but exceedingly small, and are 

 also said to be slow and more difficult to manage than the mule proper. 

 They have, therefore, seldom been bred, and when so, soon passed into 

 disuse. 



II. The Ass. 



The wild ass is said to have been indigenous to Arabia Deserta, and the 

 countries which formed the Babylonian Empire. Those now found in the 

 northern region of India are said to be so fleet, in the hill country, that 

 no horse can overtake them. Four different races seem to be indicated 

 in the Hebrew Scriptures, where they are named Para^ CJiamor, Aton 

 and Orud. Of the wild ass Para, Scott's version of the description by 

 Job is as follows : 



"Wild tenant of the Avaste, I sent hun there 



Among the shrubs, to breath in Freedom's air. 



Swift as an arrow in his speed he flies ; 



Sees from afar the smoky city rise ; 



Scorns the throng'd street, where slavery drags her load. 



The loud-voiced driver and his urging goad : 



WTiere e'er the mountain waves its lofty wood, 



A boundless range, he seeks his verdant food." 



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