164 NATURAL HISTORY. 



to roll about as often as he can, and by this seems to 

 reproach his master, for the little care he takes of him, 



In his earliest youth, he is sprightly, and even hand- 

 some, light, and genteel ; but, either from age or baj^ 

 treatment, he soon loses it, and becomes slow, indo- 

 cil, and headstrong. Pliny assures us, that when they 

 separate the mother from the young one, she will go 

 through fire to recover it. The ass is also strongly 

 attached to his master, notwithstanding he is usually 

 ill-treated. He will smell him afar off, and can dis- 

 tinguish him from all other men. He also knows the 

 places where he has lived, and the ways which he has 

 frequented. His eyes are good, and his smell is acute. 

 His ears are excellent, which has also contributed to 

 hid being numbered among timid animals, which it is 

 pretended have all the hearing extremely" delicate, and 

 the ears long. When he is over-loaded, he shews it 

 by lowering his head, and bending down his ears : 

 when he is greatly abused, he opens his mouth, and 

 draws back his lips in a most disagreeable manner, 

 which gives him an air of derision and scorn. If his 

 eyes are covered over, he remains motionless. He 

 walks, trots, and gallops like the horse ; but all his 

 motions are smaller, and much slower. Notwithstand- 

 ing he can run with tolerable swiftness, he can gallop 

 but a little way, and whatever paces he uses, if he is 

 hard pressed, he is soon fatigued. 



The Jack-ass brays in a very discordant manner. 

 The she-ass has a clearer and shriller voice. Those 

 that are gelded, bray very low ; and, though they 

 seem to make the same efforts, and the same motions 

 of the throat, yet their cry cannot be heard far off. 



Of all the animals covered with hair, the ass is 

 least subject to verinir. This circumstance may be 



