276 ASSES, 



9. The ass hardly ever has any irregular markings on its 

 coat, such as a **star," '* blaze," *' reach," or *' stockings," all 

 of which are very frequent among horses. A small star, on 

 one or two occasions, is the only mark of the kind I have 

 ever seen in the ass. At the same time, I must state that I 

 have not had much experience among these animals. 



10. I believe I am correct in saying that the colour of the 

 ass is never of a bright bay, chestnut, red or blue roan, or 

 nutmeg grey, I have seen mules of an iron-grey colour ; but 

 have not observed it in the ass. This conservatism in colour 

 and freedom from irregular markings, shown by the ass, is 

 very remarkable ; considering how greatly the coat of the 

 horse varies in this respect, and that the ass has, in all 

 probability, been longer under the influence of domestication 

 than the horse. 



1 1. As regards conformation, I may say that the ass differs 

 from the horse, chiefly, by its greater height over the croup, 

 as compared to that at the withers, and by the narrowness, 

 uprightness, and concavity of its hoofs. The excess of height 

 at the croup tends to make the withers of the ass appear 

 unduly low (p. 167). The spines of the vertebrae at the 

 withers are only a little shorter in the ass than they are in 

 the horse. As a rule, horses are higher at the withers than 

 they are at the croup. 



12. The horse has a thick strong dock to his tail; the 

 ass, a thin, lissom one. 



13. The horse, on each side of his croup and covering his 

 pelvis, has, underneath and closely adhering to the skin of 

 the part, a thick and extremely dense layer of connective 

 tissue, which is so close and hard, when the skin has been 

 tanned and dried, that it looks like horn. These two patches 

 of thickened skin are separated from each other about four 

 or five inches apart, so that there is a strip of skin of ordinary 

 thickness running down the croup towards the tail. These 

 pieces of skin are utilised, chiefly, for the manufacture of long 

 boots for foreign cavalry officers, by curriers, who dress and 

 pare down the '' shell," or hardened layer, until it is almost as 



