ASSES AND MULES. 155 



stud farm consists of from four to seven stallion asses, a 

 stallion horse, a * teaser,' and one or more she-asses. The 

 mares are always brought to the stud farms, of which there 

 are 160 in Poitou, the Deux Sevres alone claiming 94, with 

 465 jackasses." The dimensions of a good fair specimen of 

 the Poitou ass, suitable for breeding heavy draught mules 

 from cart mares, are as follows : Height 14.1, forearm 19^ 

 inches, knee 15 inches, below knee 8| inches, hock 17 J inches, 

 below hock 12 inches, greatest girth 77 inches, girth behind 

 shoulder 66 inches, length of head 25 inches, length of ear 

 15 inches, ears, tip to tip across, 32 inches. The Poitou 

 breeders always select black or brown bay donkey sires with 

 white bellies, and will not have greys. The tip of the nose 

 must be of a greyish white, and covered with a slight down. 



Maltese asses have also been for many years highly prized 

 for breeding mules from blood mares both in the East and 

 West Indies, and they have consequently become very scarce 

 in Malta and Gozo. Sir Robert Biddulph, when Governor 

 of Cyprus, reported so favourably of the Cyprus donkey as 

 possessing every characteristic of the Maltese, that he was 

 directed to supply a certain number to the Government of 

 Bombay for mule breeding. The exportation proved perfectly 

 successful, and, on quitting his governorship, Sir Robert made 

 over to his cousin, Mr. Ralph Palmer, at Nazeing, Essex, a 

 jack and two jennies which he had kept in Cyprus for his own 

 use. Captain Fawkes describes the Maltese ass as follows : 

 " A pure-bred Maltese ass has a perfectly black body, neck 

 and legs, with white or light grey under the belly and inside 

 of legs. His head should be light, with active ears, and eyes 

 fringed with tan and white ; as also his muzzle, which gives a 

 nice expression to the animal's countenance. The height is 

 about 13.2, and the girth 5 ft. 3 in." Of the Cyprus ass, 

 General Sir R. Biddulph says : " As regards pedigree, 

 the Cyprus asses are said to be of Syrian blood ; the grey to 

 be a cross between the white ass of Damascus and the black 

 ass of Syria. The Cyprus asses are excellent animals to carry 

 heavy loads and are very good-tempered." 



