THE MULE. 189 



of firing, by thunder, and by violent thunder-storms ; though 

 perhaps he is not so liable to mad panic as the horse. 



The principal mule countries in Europe are the South of 

 France, Spain, Portugal and Italy. The French mules are 

 found on the borders of the Pyrenees, in Gascony and Poitou ; 

 of all these, the best are those from the neighbourhood of the 

 Pyrenees. Mules are used in Spain in the Catalan provinces, 

 in the mountainous districts of Andalusia, and in the province 

 of Alicante. Good draught mules come from La Mancha ; in 

 the districts on the slopes of the Pyrenees mules are much used 

 for pack. During the Abyssinian expedition, mules were pur- 

 chased at Cyprus, on the coast of Asia Minor, in Egypt, at 

 Bagdad and Bushire, and in the Punjab provinces of British 

 India — so widespread is the breeding-ground for mules. 



Good mules are also reared in North and South America. 

 The principal provinces for mule rearing in the United States 

 are Kentucky, Missouri, and Kansas. The Kentucky mules are 

 of good build and showy ; those from Missouri are hardy 

 animals, well able to endure privation and hardship. The 

 mules of Old and New Mexico, bred by a jackass out of a 

 mustang mare, are also very hardy, robust, and serviceable 

 animals, pronounced superior to those of the United States. 

 The mules from the district between the Tigris and the Persian 

 frontier have a very good reputation, as have also those of 

 Poitou, in France. 



Mules are rarely employed in any capacity in this country; 

 as pack-saddle carriage, for which they are so well adapted, is 

 seldom resorted to anywhere, and then perhaps donkeys are 

 preferred. Though largely used for draught in some countries, 

 yet it would appear that they are not so serviceable in towns 

 and cities as in the country. 



An American writer says with regard to the use of mules : 

 " Proprietors of omnibuses, stage lines, and city railways, 

 have, in many cases, tried to work mules, as a matter of 



