THE MULE. 457 



American gentleman is as proud of his mule as an American is of his 

 trotter. In older days the mule was the favorite beast of the clergy, and 

 the Pope used to ride about, drawn by a team of white mules. 



As a rule, neither the Mule nor the Hinny will produce offspring, but 

 instances where a mule has brought forth are not unknown. In the year 

 1762, a female mule was crossed with a gray American horse, and gave 

 birth to a beautiful foal of a fox-red color, with a black mane, which was 

 broken in to ride when three years old. She continued to have foals 

 every two years, till she had produced five. Other observations of later 

 date place beyond doubt the occurrence of other similar cases. 



The question of the fertility of mules has been often debated. In 

 these days men have more eagerly than ever asserted and denied the 

 doctrine that " all hybrids are sterile," for it is closely involved with the 

 doctrine of the origin of species by natural selection and climatic in- 

 fluences, and therefore opposed to the teaching of those who maintain 

 that every species is derived from one originally created pair which has 

 continued " to bring forth after its kind." 



58 



