THE ASS AND THE MULE. 151 
small, the tail short, the chest broad and all the joints 
large. The hair generally is fine and silky. Draft mares 
bred to this jack produce excellent mules of striking size 
and quality. 
6. Native jacks—Many ex- 
perienced breeders prefer the 
native jacks to any of the im- 
ported breeds. This is because 
of the large size, greater weight 
and larger bone that have been | 
developed after several genera- 
tions of feeding on blue grass 
and other foods grown on lime- 
stone soils. While all colors are Native Jack 
found, breeders prefer black with white points. Colts 
from native jacks are stronger, with better body and 
more length than those from imported jacks. 
7. Other breeds.-The Maltese breed comes from the 
island of Malta. The jacks are small, seldom standing 
over 14 hands. They have good color and fine bone, and 
while much liked for riding and driving, they are too 
small for farm breeding. The Italian jacks are smaller 
than the Maltese, 13 to 14 hands high. They are black 
or gray in color. The Majorca jack is the largest of the 
imported breeds. Mature individuals stand over 16 
hands. They are heavy and rather coarse. The head and 
ears are large. 
8. The burro.—The pony of the jack tribe is the burro, 
a descendant of the jacks brought to this country by 
the earliest Spanish settlers. Its hair is shaggy, usually 
of mouse color, although this may vary from white to 
black. The neck is very thick, and, in proportion to the 
rest of the body, is enormous. These beasts are very 
popular in mountainous regions. They carry large 
