*', 



VIII. IRISH DONKEYS FOR SOUTH AFRICA 



THE St. James's Gazette thinks that there is a brilliant 

 future before the Irish donkey. He is the future 

 beast of burden of South Africa, where he defies the 

 tsetse-fly in some districts, and is everywhere proof 

 against the climate. English and Dutch dealers have 

 been buying thousands of them for shipment to 

 South Africa, and 5,000 has recently been spent 

 in this way in Clare, Limerick and Tipperary alone. 



Ireland is at present the main home of the donkey 

 in the British Islands. Two hundred thousand are 

 annually thence exported to England. They are small, 

 stunted animals, with plenty of endurance, which the 

 donkey never loses, but showing all the worst results 

 of neglect in breeding. As this is the only domestic 

 animal which we have neglected to improve, the results 

 are useful as a scientific example of what happens when 

 domestic animals are c left to themselves/ Improved 

 animals sheep, cattle, or horses, down to cats are full 

 of ' excellent differences.' Our neglected donkeys, 



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