E Q 
their bed flute* of afies* bones. The Perfians life the bile 
of the afs as a remedy againft dimnefs of fight. 
The afs appears to have been originally an eaflern ani¬ 
mal. In thofe warm climates he appears to much greater 
advantage than -in Europe, and other northern regions. 
In Senegal, it is actually confpicuous for beauty : its hair 
is there of a glittering moufe-colotir; and the ftreaks which 
crofs on its back and (houlders have a very agreeable ef¬ 
fect. In Arabia, Egypt, Barbary, India, and Guinea, the 
afs is remarkable for its fize and ftrength. The Indians 
of Madura believe that the fouls of their nobility after 
death animate the bodies of alles; and, for that reafon, 
treat the animal with peculiar refpedt. We learn from 
the Ckronicon Pretiofum, that a lies were known in England 
in the days of king Ethelred ; and the animal is again 
noticed in the fame record, under the reign of Henry II I. 
Holingflied relates, however, that, in the days of queen 
Elizabeth, there were no alles in the ifiand: perhaps he 
may have been mifinformed ; or the extindlion of the race 
may have been owing to fome accident. In Sweden, this 
fpecies is extremely rare; and we know not if it has yet 
-made its way into Norw r ay. 
The onager, or wild afs of the ancients, which is called 
koulan by thofe modern nations who have the bed oppor¬ 
tunities of being acquainted with it, is the fame fpecies, 
in a wild flate. The forehead of the koulan is very much 
arched : its ears (land always ereft; they are lined with 
whitifh curling hairs, and (harp-pointed : its lips are 
thick ; its noftrils large and oval; and the end of the nofe 
flopes abruptly to the upper lip. It is taller than the 
domeftic afs; its legs are much more elegantly (biped; 
and it bears its head higher. Its (kull is remarkably 
thin. Its mane is about three or four inches long, of a 
dun colour, foft, and woolly; and extending to the 
fhoulders. The hairs at the end of its tail are coarfe, 
and about a fpan long. The colour of its hair, in gene¬ 
ral, is a filver-white. The upper part of the face, the 
fides of the neck, and the body, and the under part of the 
thighs, are flaxen. The fore-part of the body is divided 
from the flank by a white line, extending round the rump, 
to the tail. The legs and the belly are white. A ftripe 
of waved, coffee-coloured, bufhy hairs, runs along the 
top of the back, from the mane to the tail. Another flripe 
of the fame colour, erodes the former at the fhoulders. 
Two beautiful white lines, one on each fide, bound the 
dorfal band, and the mane. In winter, the hair of this 
animal is foft, filky, and waving : it bears, in this (late, a 
confiderable refemblance to the hair of the camel; it feels 
greafy ; and the flaxen colour is, now, mod exquifitely 
bright. In fummer, the hair is very fmooth, filky, and 
even ; but certain (haded rays, pointing downwards, mark 
the fides of the neck. 
The koulan inhabits the mountainous parts of the de- 
ferts of Tartary; but is not found farther north than the 
forty-eighth degree of latitude. In fummer, thefe ani¬ 
mals appear in vad herds, in the neighbourhood of the 
lake Aral; but in winter, they retire to the warmer cli¬ 
mate of India. Barboga, quoted by Dr. Pallas, relates, 
that they penetrate to the mountains of Malabar and 
Golconda. Perfia, however, is their favourite winter re¬ 
treat; and they are found, through the whole year, on 
the mountains of Caflbin. The deferts in the north of 
Africa are faid to afford wild affes of an adi-colour. An¬ 
ciently thefe animals were likewife found in Lycaonia, 
Phrygia, Mefopotamia, Silefia, and Arabia Deferta. They 
are remarkably wild. The Perfians, however, deceive 
thefe animals into pits, and by that means take them 
alive. They afterwards break them for the draught and 
the faddle; and value them highly for both thefe pur- 
pol'es. The breed of tame affes is improved by inter¬ 
mixture with thefe. The Romans edeemed the progeny 
of the onager copulating with the tame afs, by far the 
bed. This animal is mentioned in the book of Job, as 
remarkable for its wild, impetuous, untameable, fpirit. 
Like the wild borfe, and the dftiiggetaij this fpecies affo- 
Vol, VI. No. 400. 
U U S. 889 
date- in herds, under a leader, and are very (by. They 
fometimes, however, dop when running, in the midd of 
their career, and fuffer a perfon to approach them ; but, 
before they can be caught, fuddenly dart away, with 
great velocity. 
The Tartars, and even the Perfians, edeem the fledi of 
the wild afs a great delicacy. The former watch, and 
(hoot it, when it goes to drink in the ponds of brackidi 
water, in the deferts; for it prefers faltidi to fredi water, 
and is even fonded of faline and bitter milky plants. 
The Romans, among their other delicate diflies, were 
very fond of the fle(h of the young of this animal, which 
they called lalifio ; not lefs fo, it would appear, than the 
Perfians and the Tartars. 
The hybrid Mule is produced from the copulation of 
an horfe with a (lie afs; which fort is didingui(hed by 
the term hinny: and that produced from the contadl: of 
the male afs with a mare is properly the mule, and thefe 
are confidered as the bed, being larger than thofe whofe 
male parent is the horfe. Their form bears a confiderable 
refemblance to that of the afs; and in their difpofitions 
they are rather vicious and intractable. The Spanifh 
mules are fuperior to thofe of other countries: .very large 
ones are bred in Savoy. In Britain, a larger and (Longer 
breed of mules has been obtained, by the importation-of 
Spanifii male afles for the purpofe. In Spain, the mule 
is a favourite animal. It is well known to tread more 
firmly and fecurely than the horfe. Perfons of quality 
in Spain prefer it, on this account, for drawing in their 
carriages. Pliny relates, as a fa£t authenticated by the 
public records of the Athenians, that a mule had been 
known to live to the age of eighty years. On the con¬ 
troverted fubjedt of the impoflibilitv of mules being able 
to procreate, and of the nature of hybrids in general, fee 
the article Mule. 
4. Equvs Zebra, the flriped Horfe. The French hif- 
torians, Briffon and Buffon, call it le zebre, or Pane raye'; 
from Linnaeus it has received the name of equus zebra .:.; 
by Kolben, in his account of its native country, it is 
called the wild d/s ; and by the colonifis at the Cape of 
Good Hope, they are called wilde paavden, or wild horfes. 
This beautiful animal is nearly of the fame (hape and 
fize with the Spanifli mule. Its tail, like that of the a(s, 
has long hairs at the extremity. The (kin under the jaw 
is faid to hang loofe on the neck, in a manner which 
rather injures the general elegance of its appearance. Its 
mane is (hort, and (lands ereCl. The head, the neck, 
the mane, and the body, are flriped downwards, with 
lines of dark brown, on a light ground, or with alternate 
black and white lines. Its legs and thighs are flriped 
acrofs, with the fame colours. This arrangement of its 
colours is univerfally admired. The males and females, 
excepting fome trifling variations, are coloured alike. 
This animal is remarkably fwift. Kolben afferts, that 
he is fwifter than the horfe ; but Sparrman affures us, 
that, with good horfes, zebras are eafily hunted down. 
Their feet are fmall, and their hoofs hard ; fo that they 
may be regarded as furer-footed than horfes. Mankind 
have hitherto made but few attempts to tame this ani¬ 
mal ; and fuch as they have made have proved unfuc- 
cefsful. The individuals of this fpecies which have been 
brought into Europe, are remarkably wild and vicious. 
Buffon informs us, that the zebra which he examined 
was extremely wild ; and though great pains had been 
ufed to tame him, yet (till he continued fo unmanageable, 
that two men always held the bridle, while a third fat 
on the animal’s back. His ears were fo exquifitely fen- 
fible, that he kicked whenever they were touched. Py- 
rard, quoted by Buffon, relates, that, in Brazil, a zebra 
had been known to break loofe, and kill its keeper; yet 
zebras may hereafter, perhaps, be rendered as tame as 
horfes. Thefe animals are gregarious, and are feen in 
large troops. Their (kins are procured by the European 
furriers, and fold at a high price. Attempts have been 
repeatedly made to bring the zebra to copulate with the 
10 R afs. 
