THE POITOU ASS. 99 



one, and liable to be liglit-limbed and small-footed. 

 Still the object of each proprietor is always to have asses 

 with as much unkempt coat as possible, be they Bourail- 

 loute or otherwise. 



The illustration on the opposite page represents a short- 

 coated Poitou jack, or one that, in the eyes of the breeder, 

 has had the misfortune to lose his coat at an early age. 

 As such he is much better adapted for breeding mules for 

 hot climates. 



The point in the Poitou ass to which exception will be 

 taken is the great size of the head and the length of the 

 ears. In a horse we most of us look at his head first ; and 

 a small, blood-like head, well set on, makes up for a multi- 

 tude of sins. Now, the Poitou jackass is kept mainly for 

 breeding heavy draught mules ; and it has long been an 

 axiom among the breeders that these mules cannot be 

 produced with the necessary size and weight without 

 correspondingly large heads and ears, and that these can 

 only be communicated through the medium of jackasses 

 already blessed with an excess of these appendages. Con- 

 sequently, it is the aim and object of the breeders to 

 produce asses with the largest heads and ears possible. 



Like the Arabs with their mares, the Poitou breeders 

 manifest considerable reluctance at parting with their 

 asses, which is not to be wondered at considering the large 

 sums of money which this mule breeding and selling brings 

 them in. There is also not a little difficulty in rearing 

 and bringing the asses to maturity, owing to the very false 

 principles on which the breeders and their forefathers have 

 proceeded for centuries. 



The breeding of the asses is quite a distinct branch of 

 the industry from that of the mules, and is almost entirely 

 confined to the neighbourhood of Melle and Chef-Boutonue, 



H 2 



