THE ASS 



183 



The characteristics of the domestic ass include several features 

 not possessed by the horse. The female is pregnant fully twelve 

 months, the horse eleven. The fore legs have callosities (chest- 

 nuts) while the hind legs have none. The ears are very large and 

 long, the foretop and mane are usually very scanty, and the tail 

 has no long hair excepting at its lower part, which has a brush. 

 The body is often covered with long hair, in some cases showing 

 remarkable length, while in other cases it is fairly short. Hayes 

 calls attention to patches of thickened skin, which he terms the 

 " shell," covering the croup and pelvis in the horse. In the 

 case of the ass, this 

 skin extends all over 

 the ribs ; consequently 

 this animal is not as 

 sensitive to blows as 

 is the horse. The 

 body is very compact, 

 the quarters lacking 

 deep muscling, while 

 the legs are very 

 strong of bone, often 

 heavy of joint, with 

 small, narrow feet. 

 The ass makes a 

 peculiar noise called 

 a bray. 



The Andalusian jack is native to Andalusia, in southern Spain, 

 where it is an ancient breed. The color is gray, with rare cases 

 of black. This breed has considerable size and stands 13^- to 15 

 hands high. The bone is excellent, and the breed possesses much 

 substance. H. W. Sessions refers to one 15^ hands high having 

 a girth of 67 inches with the bone below the knee measuring 

 8| inches around. The head and neck are said to be very good. 

 This breed and color have never been popular in the United States, 

 although well scattered over the country. 



The Catalonian jack is a Spanish breed from Catalonia, in 

 extreme northeastern Spain, a very mountainous region bordering 

 on France. This is a black or brown breed with light points, 



FIG. 71. A Poitou jack with the characteristic coat 



of hair. This was a prize winner at the Paris Horse 



Show. From a French photograph 



