MULES AND HINNIES. 83 



a smaller, better-formed head, the flowing mane and full 

 tail, the general form, the finer coat, larger legs, broader 

 feet, and the voice of the horse. What would at first 

 appear remarkable is, that the mule, or offspring of the 

 male ass and mare, is a far larger animal than that of the 

 stallion and female ass; and not only that, but Aequently 

 larger than either of his parents. In proof of w hich may 

 oe cited an advertisement from Porter^ s Spirit of the Times^ 

 of Jan. 8, of this year, offering for sale "a splendid pair 

 of jet-black mules, seventeen hands ihi^ee inches high, beau- 

 tifully matched, three years old. They were got," it ia 

 added, "by the finest Maltese jack in Kentucky, out of 

 thorough-bred mares, got by Wagner and Grey Eagle," 

 Sec. Now these prodigious animals, fully equal in height 

 lO the largest London dray-horse, which would probably 

 vveigh nearly two thousand pounds, if their height be cor- 

 rectly stated — which one may presume to be the case, 

 since no benefit could arise to the advertiser from a 

 deception which must ins4«antly be discovered on exami- 

 nation by a purchaser — are the produce of a sire, the 

 largest specimens of which never exceed the stature, of a 

 small horse, and dams which, in the absence of any knowl- 

 edge on the subject, we may set down as probably not 

 exceeding fifteen hands and two inches, and certainly 

 not exceeding sixteen hands, inasmuch as the latter is, 

 ordinarily speaking, the maximum height of the race- 

 horse. Here, therefore, we have the hybrid offspring 

 overtopping the sire in height by at least three hands, or 

 twelve inches, and the dams by two hands, or eight 

 inches: — a convincing proof, by the way, of the absurdity 

 and hopelessness of expecting to produce an enlarged 

 progeny by breeding small, weak, undersized mares to 

 large, powerful stallions ; and a strong argument in favor 



