A S I 



fGiomtfl-n), about tlie fi/.e nf I'liAt^EKA fL^t-rophyUatit, er 

 chimney -rv/ccpcr moth of the EnglilTi Aiirtliaris. It in- 

 habits Autlria. The winjs are grerilh, afh cohiiir, and 

 ■without fpots. FabriciuB, Griulin. Or/. 'I'his is Phal^ena 

 gr'ifeala ot Wicii. Schmettcrl. 



ASINDA, in Anc'uiil Gri^rapl-j, a tfuvn of India, on 

 this fide of the Gangej, I'tolem)-. 



ASINDO, or Assizo, a to\rn of Spain, in B.ftica, 

 feated on a monntain, nearly call of Gads. 



ASINDUM, a town of Spain, in the couiitiy of tlie 

 Turdclani. 



A SINE, a tn'.vn of Greece, in the Arpolide, fituatc 

 upon the Argolic gulf? north-wdt of Hermione, and fonth- 

 weft of r.pidaiirus. — A town of Meffenia, fouth wed of 

 Mcffcnc, founded by the Afimans after they had been 

 driven from ihtir former city in the Argolide by the Ar- 



tivcs A town of the illand of Cyprus. — A town of Afia, 



m Cilicia. Steph. Bvz. 



ASINELLA, in Gec^mphy, a river of Itnlv, in the 

 kingdom of Naples, wliich runs into the Adriatic near Pe- 

 nac, in the Abru/.zo citra. 



ASINI, in Entomology/, a fpecies of Pediculus that 

 infelU the afi. The head is porrcded and obtufe ; abdo- 

 men ovate and Ilriatcd with brown. Eabricms, Redi, 

 &c. 



ASINIUS Lapis, a name given by fome writers of the 

 middle ages to a ilone faid to be found in ihole places fre- 

 quented by the wild afs. See Bezoar. 



As I Nil's Pollio, in Biography. See Pollio. 



A SINUS, or Ass, in Zoology, a quadruped of tlie Horse 

 kind, or genus Equus in the Linnxan fyltem of animals ; 

 a native originally of the mountainous defcrts of Tartary, 

 of Arabia, Perfia, and fome other fouthtrn parts of the 

 Afiatic continent, and Africa ; and at prefent very generally 

 domellicated thoughout moll civilized countries. 



In point of lize, of flrength, and beauty, the varieties of 

 this fpecies, like other domeftic animals, have iindtrj'onc 

 many changes, and differ confiderably from each other. 

 Thofe of the cailem parts of the world, who continue to en- 

 joy the advantages of a climate entirely congenial with their 

 nature, arc Hill obferved to pofTels nearly all that activity, 

 that energetic fpirit and beauty of appearance which charac- 

 terilc this animal in a ftate of independent wildnefs ; they 

 prefect a race of beings in ahnoll every refpcft the very 

 reverfc of thofe abjetl creatures, their degenerate offspring, 

 which we are daily accuilomcd to fee employed in t!ie 

 meancft afts of fervitude in the northern parts of Europe. 

 But although the fhades of degradation are fo much more 

 ttrongly marked in the latter kind<, than in tiie rctl, all may 

 be definitively traced to a few diftinct varieties, ai:d thofe 

 ngain to the fnigle fpecies, the primeval llock from which thev 

 ■were at firft derived. 



The charafter of the afs, as Linnius defines it. confffis in 

 having the tail bridly at the extremity, and a black crofs 

 ever the fhonlders- To this his editor Gaaclin adds, that 

 the hoofs are folid ; and that the black crofs on the fhoul- 

 ders is peculiar to the male. According to BrifFoii Qi-ad. it is 

 an Equtis with long flouching cars, and fhort mane. 



Gmelin divides the fpecies AJtnus into four varieties, viz. 

 ferul a., annus filveilris, domrflicus 0, mtti'us y, and hinnui S. 

 The firlt is the wild afs, onager of Pliny and other ancient 

 writers; onagrjs, onager, five afnms filvcftris of Gtfncr : 

 cquUk (onager) auriculns longis, juba brevi, pdle tuberculis 

 parvis fcabra of BrifTon : Tafne fauvage of Marmol- Af. 

 ' a'.d wilder cfel of Pallas. — The domeftic, or fecond variety, 

 varying much in different countries, is notwithilanding well 

 known in Europe by tilt feveral names of common afs, Ei;g. 

 I 



A S I 



Vnnt nnd Vaneffr, Fren. j^fino mlceio, f. miccia, Ital. ylfr.o i«r' 

 nco,f. lorrlca. Span. Ajh't hyrnco, /■ njha itirra, I'uit. J'^fci^ 

 Gcxm. Eizel,\.)\n. /Ifiia, Swcd. Afi», tj'el, Danilh. — Muli't, 

 or nuiU, the third vacietv, it is alinoit iinnecellary to Ttniatis 

 is the hybrid ofTiipring of the male als with a marc ; and 

 hl'iiiiij, the hinny, a fimilar hybrid produC\ of the male 

 horfc with the female ids, and ilrictly fpcaking ought nut 

 t>) be deemed varieties ot the fpecies afntu, but rather ino&- 

 fler;, as being out of the conifc of nature. 



^Vild alles were pcrfeclly v.ell known to the ancicntj ; 

 they are faithfully defcribed by Pliny and Oppian ; ami 

 among the iacre;' writings arc frequent allr.flons to them. 

 'I'liey uniformly attracted the notice ot travellers in Alia and 

 Africa ; and profcffor Pallas in particular has treated on 

 them with his accullomcd accuracy. The appearance both 

 of the wild and tame ailes in tiiole parts of llic world is al- 

 together llriking. " It was with dilhcu'ty," fays Adanfon, 

 when i'peaking of the afTcs of Senegal, " that 1 could recog- 

 nize this animal, fo different did it appear from tiiofe of 

 Europe; the hair was line, an 1 of a bright moufe colour; 

 and the black liil t!iat cruffes the back and fhoulders had a 

 good etfcft. Tliefe were the affes brought by the Moors 

 from the interior of the country." I roni the bell authorities 

 it appears, that in a natural Uate, the afs has a folt woolly 

 mine ; a forehead greatly arched ; ar.d ears h'lig, creit, and 

 pointed, particulais in which it diflers moll ol/vioiifly from 

 the domellicated kind, wnich has the ears flouching, and 

 the forehead llattilh. Tlic former llandi alfo higher on its 

 limbs, and the legs are more flcnder in proportion. The 

 colour of the hair is white or fiiveiy grey ; tlic upper part 

 of the face, the fides of the neck, and body, inclining to a 

 ftraw colour ; and the hind part of the thighs the lame ; 

 the fore-part divided from the flank by a white hnc, which 

 extends quite round from the rump to the tail : the belly 

 and legs are alfo white ; along the very top ot the back, 

 from the mane quite to the tail, runs a llripe of bulhy waved 

 hairs of a coffee-colour, broadell abo<c tlie hind part, and 

 growing narrower towards the tail; another of the fame co- 

 knir crolTes it at the flioulders, and forming a fimilar mark to 

 that by which the tame afs is difliiiguilhcd. This is peculiar 

 to the male, and is bounded on each lide by a line of white. 

 Its winter coat is very fine, foft, and lilky, much undulated, 

 and not unlike tiiat of the camel ; grealy to the touch, 

 and the fla.\;en colour more vivid th.an in the lummer. 

 In its fummer drefs there are certain Ihadcd rays that mark 

 the fides of the neck, pointing downwards. Thele animals 

 inhabit the dry and mountainous parts of the delerts of 

 Great Tartai-y, but not higher than Lt. 48'^. They are 

 migratory, and arrive in vail troops to feed during the lum- 

 mer, in the trafts to the call am! north of lake Aral. About 

 autumn they coUetl in herds of hundreds, and even thou- 

 fands, and dirccl their conrfe towards the north ol hidia 

 to enjoy a warm retreat during winter. But they more 

 ulu.illy retire to Perlia, where they are found in tiic moun- 

 tains of Cafbin, and where part of them remain during the 

 whole year. According to Barbago, they penetrate even 

 into the louthcrn parts of India to the mountains of Mala- 

 bar and (lolcondj. Tne Kirgilecs and Arabs hunt them, 

 or take them in tnares for the lake of their flefh. At rirll 

 when the animal is kihcd, the meat is hot and unfavour)' ; 

 but if kept two days after it is boiled, it becomes excellent. 

 The flefh of wild affes, it is well known, was cllecmcd an 

 article of food among the ancient Romans. 



The wild als feeds cliiefly on the moll faline or bitter 

 plants of thedefert, as the kalis, atriplcx, chcnopodium, &c, 

 and alfo prefers tlie laltcfl and moll bi-ackilh water to that 

 which is frefh. Of this the hiiutcrs arc aware, and ufnally 



ftaiiun 



