92 HOW TO BREED MULES. 



though stiil warm — than his native land, and perhaps of 

 crossing with the species first described. The third is the 

 Arabian jack, which is to the ass what the thorough -bred 

 is to the horse, — taller in height, lighter in limb, slenderer 

 in bone, Avith a high-carried head, shorter and always erect 

 ears, and a higher and more sprightly spirit, than any 

 other of the ass species. It is said by those who have 

 seen and examined this animal in its native land, and who 

 are competent to judge, that it bears so close a resem- 

 blance to the wild ass, Dziggtai, Equus Hemiorms^ of 

 Persia and Mongolia, as described by Pallas, the naturalist, 

 that it is not to be doubted that it is descended from that 

 swift and beautiful creature. AVere the saddle, or harness 

 before pleasure vehicles, the object of mule-raising, this 

 jack or his representative, the Maltese jack, which is evi- 

 dently directly sprung from him, with little or no degen- 

 eracy or deterioration, would, unquestionably, be the best 

 sire. But for draft mules for heavy work, these jacks are 

 too slender in the limbs, and especially too long in the 

 pasterns to make eligible sires. 



In our opinion the Maltese jack should never be chosen 

 as a sire for working mules in this country ; but if he be, 

 he should be bred to close-ribbed, strong-boned, stocky 

 mares ; Canadians we should prefer to onj other form. It 

 is our belief, however, that the Andalusian jack, if it can 

 be procured, is the mr^st eligible sire for the United States; 

 but as it is understood to be difficult to procure this race, 

 it would be perhaps advisable to commence from the com- 

 mencement, and proceed to breed oiir ov;n jacks for the 

 purpose of breeding our own mules, instead of having re- 

 course to the constant importation of male asses. This, in 

 the end, would prove to be not onl}- the surest but the 

 cheapest method; and it is confidently believed that a 

 superior jack to any now existing, f.^r American breeding 



