THE DONKEY. II5 



ably mixes her tints. Hence among ordinary 

 surroundings the evenly coloured animal is 

 more likely to be discerned by the eyes of his 

 foes than one which imitates nature's motley. 

 Amons^ the rocks dark lines indicatine angles 

 and crevices are of frequent occurrence, and it 

 seems possible that this may have been the ori- 

 ginal use of the dark stripe down the shoulder of 

 the ass. 



The coat of the donkey is more inclined to be 

 shaggy than that of the horse ; and this also, 

 considering the fact that he is always found wild 

 in warm countries, suggests a habitat in elevated 

 regions where the air is cold. Yet he shows an 

 extraordinary power of adapting himself to dif- 

 ferent climates, and will stand fatigue under the 

 heat of the tropics better than a horse. I was 

 once told by a Kansas farmer that after a day's 

 ploughing in the summer his horses would be 

 completely exhausted ; but his mules, after a roll 

 on the ground, would scamper away to the pasture 

 as if they had been keeping holiday all day. 

 Although the donkey has not been used in Arctic 

 regions, he bears cold remarkably well. Now 

 these qualities, which greatly increase the use- 

 fulness of the animal to man, are undoubtedly 



