34 # 
and never, like the horse, dips his nose into the 
stream. As he is seldom saddled, he frequently 
rolls himself upon the grass ; and lies down, for 
this purpose, as often as he has an opportunity, 
without minding what becomes of his burden. 
He never rolls, like the horse, in the mud ; he 
even ferars to wet his feet ; and turns cut of his 
way to avoid the dirty parts of a road. 
When very young, the ass is sprightly, and tole- 
rably handsome ; but he soon loses these qualifi- 
cations, either by age or bad treatment, and he 
becomes slow, stupid, and headstrong. He seems 
to show no ardour, except for the female, having 
been often known to die after the covering. The 
she-ass is very fond of her young ; and we are as- 
sured that she will cross fire and water to prefect 
and rejoin it. This animal is sometimes not less 
attached to his owner ; by whom he is too often 
abused. He scents him at a distance, and dis- 
tinguishes him from others in a crowd ; he knows 
the ways he has passed, and the places where he in- 
habits. 
When over-loaded, the ass shows the injustice 
of his master, by hanging down bis head and low- 
ering his ears ; when he is too hard pressed, he 
opens his mouth and draws back his lips in a very 
disagreeable manner. If his eyes are covered, he 
will not stir a step ; and, if lie is laid down in 
such a manner, that one eye is covered with the 
grass, while the other is hidden with a stone, or 
w hatever is next at hand, he will continue fixed in 
the same situation, and will not so much as attempt 
to rise to free himself from those slight impedi- 
ments. He walks, trots, and gallops like a horse ; 
but, although he sets out very freely at first, yet 
he is soon tired ; and then no beatingwill make 
him mend his pace. It is in vain that his unmer- 
ciful rider exerts his whip or his cudgel ; the 
