208 HISTORY OF 



and other animals leave behind. If he gives the 

 preference to any vegetable, it is to the plantain, 

 for which he is often- seen to neglect every other 

 herb in the pasture : but he is chiefly delicate 

 with respect to his water ; he drinks only at the 

 clearest brooks, and chiefly those to which he has 

 been accustomed. He drinks as soberly as he 

 eats, and never, like the horse, dips his nose 

 into the stream. As he is seldom saddled, he 

 frequently rolls himself upon the grass ; and lies 

 down, for this purpose, as often as he has an op- 

 portunity, without minding what becomes of his 

 burden. He never rolls, like the horse, in the 

 mud ; he even fears to wet his feet, and turns 

 out of his way to avoid the dirty parts of a road. 



When very young, the ass is sprightly, and 

 even tolerably handsome ; but he soon loses these 

 qualifications, either by age or bad treatment, and 

 he becomes slow, stupid, and headstrong. He 

 seems to shew no ardour, except for the female, 

 having been often known to die after the cover- 

 ing. The she-ass is not less fond of her young 

 than the male is of her ; and we are assured that 

 she will cross fire and water to protect or rejoin 

 it. This animal is sometimes not less attached 

 to his owner, by whom he is too often abused. 

 He scents him at a distance, and distinguishes 

 him from others in a crowd ; he knows the ways 

 he has passed, and the places where he inhabits. 



When overloaded, the ass shews the injustice 

 of his master, by hanging down his head and low- 

 ering his ears ; when he is too hard pressed, he 

 opens his mouth and draws back his lips in a very 



