PREFACE. 



Upwards of four thousand works on horses and their 

 utilization have been published^ and of this number about 

 one half have been printed in Great Britain. It may 

 therefore appear an act of presumption on the part of any 

 writer to augment the already lengthy list, but recently 

 new animals, such as Prejevalski's horse and Grevy's 

 zebra, have been discovered; species hitherto untamed 

 have been pressed into the service of man, and new 

 hybrids have been reared which hold out the promise of 

 great utility. 



Much knowledge has been gained by recent travellers 

 respecting the history and habits of species hitherto 

 imperfectly known, and, above all, a vast amount of in- 

 formation has been accumulated, proving the advantages 

 that are found to arise from utilizing the mule in almost 

 all civilized countries excepting England, in. which country 

 no book on this useful hybrid has ever been published. 

 To supply this deficiency ; to demonstrate the great value 

 and economy of the mule as a beast of draught and 

 burden, that could be as advantageously employed in this 

 country in agricultural' and general draught purposes as it 

 is by other nations, and by ourselves in all military 

 operations abroad, is in part the object with which this 

 work is published. 



