the Horse, in zoology, a genus of quadrupeds belonging to the order of bellua. This genus comprehends the horse, the ass, and the zebra; they have six erect and parallel fore-teeth in the upper jaw, and six somewhat prominent ones in the under jaw; the dog-teeth are solitary, and at a considerable distance from the rest; and the feet consist of an undivided hoof. The horse is a domestic animal; and the figure and dimensions of his body are so well known, that a general description is altogether unnecessary. We shall therefore confine ourselves to the natural history of this noble animal.

The horse, in a domestic state, is a bold and fiery animal; equally intrepid as his master, he faces danger and death with ardour and magnanimity. He delights in the noise and tumult of arms, and seems to feel the glory of victory: he exults in the chase; his eyes sparkle with emulation in the course. But though bold and intrepid, he is docile and tractable: he knows how to govern and check the natural vivacity and fire of his temper. He not only yields to the hand, but seems to consult the inclination of his rider. Constantly obedient to the impressions he receives, his motions are entirely regulated by the will of his master. He in some measure resigns his very existence to the pleasure of man. He delivers up his whole powers; he reserves nothing; he will rather die than disobey. Who could endure to see a character so noble abused! who could be guilty of such gross barbarity!

This character, though natural to the animal, is in some measure the effect of education. His education commences with the loss of liberty, and it is finished by constraint. The slavery of the horse is so ancient and so universal, that he is but rarely seen in a natural state. Several ancient writers talk of wild horses, and even mention the places where they were to be found. Herodotus takes notice of white savage horses in Scythia; Aristotle says, they are to be found in Syria; Pliny, in the northern regions; and Strabo, in Spain and the Alps. Among the moderns, Cardan says, that wild horses are to be found in the Highlands of Scotland and the Orkney isles; Olaus, in Muscovy; Dapper, in the island of Cyprus; Leo and Marmol, in Arabia and Africa, &c. But as Europe is almost equally inhabited, wild horses are not to be met with in any part of it; and those of America were originally transported from Europe by the Spaniards; for this species of animals did not exist in the new world. The Spaniards carried over a great number of horses, left them in different islands, &c. with a view to propagate that useful animal in their colonies. These have multiplied incredibly in the vast deserts of those thinly peopled countries. tries, where they roam at large, without any restraint. M. de Salle relates, that he saw, in the year 1685, horses feeding in the meadows of North America, near the bay of St Louis, which were so ferocious that nobody durst come near them. Oexmelin says, that he has seen large troops of them in St Domingo running in the valleys; that when any person approached, they all stopped; and one of them would advance till within a certain distance, then snort with his nose, take to his heels, and the whole troop after him. Every author who takes notice of these horses of America, agree that they are smaller and less handsome than those of Europe. These relations sufficiently prove, that the horse, when at full liberty, though not a fierce or dangerous animal, has no inclination to associate with mankind; that all the softness and ductility of his temper proceeds entirely from the culture and polish he receives in his domestic education, which in some measure commences as soon as he is brought forth.

The motions of the horse are chiefly regulated by the bit and the spur; the bit informs him how to direct his course, and the spur quickens his pace. The mouth of the horse is endowed with an amazing sensibility: the slightest motion or pressure of the bit gives him warning, and instantly determines his course.

The horse has not only a grandeur in his general appearance, but there is the greatest symmetry and proportion in the different parts of his body. The regularity and proportion of the different parts of the head gives him an air of lightness, which is well supported by the strength and beauty of his chest. He erects his head, as if willing to exalt himself above the condition of other quadrupeds: his eyes are open and lively; his ears are handsome, and of a proper height; his mane adorns his neck, and gives him the appearance of strength and boldness.

At the age of two years, or two years and a half, the horse is in a condition to propagate; and the mare, like most other females, is ready to receive him still sooner. But the foals produced by such early embraces are generally ill-made and weakly. The horse should never be admitted to the mare till he is four or four and a half; this is only meant with regard to draught-horses. Fine horses should not be admitted to the mare before they be six years old; and Spanish stallions not till seven. The mares are generally in season from the beginning of April to the end of March; but their chief ardour for the horse lasts but about 15 or 20 days, and this critical season should always be embraced. The stallion ought to be found, well made, vigorous, and of a good breed. For fine saddle-horses, foreign stallions, as Arabians, Turks, Barbs, and Andalouians, are preferable to all others. Next to these, British stallions are the best; because they originally sprang from those above-mentioned, and are very little degenerated. The stallions of Italy, and especially the Neapolitans, are very good. The best stallions for draught or carriage horses, are those of Naples, Denmark, Holstein, and Freezeland. The stallions for saddle-horses should be from 14 to 15 hands high, and for draught-horses at least 15 hands. Neither ought the colour of stallions to be overlooked; as a fine black, grey, bay, sorrel, &c. Besides these external qualities, a stallion ought to have courage, tractability, spirit, agility, a sensible mouth, sure limbs, &c. These precautions in the choice of a stallion are the more necessary, because he has been found by experience to communicate to his offspring almost all his good or bad qualities, whether natural or acquired.

The mare contributes less to the beauty of her offspring than the stallion; but she contributes perhaps more to their constitution and stature: for these reasons, it is necessary that the mares for breed be perfectly found, and make good nurseries. For elegant horses, the Spanish and Italian mares are best; but, for draught-horses, those of Britain and Normandy are preferable. However, when the stallions are good, the mares of any country will produce fine horses, provided they be well made and of a good breed.

Mares go with young eleven months and some days. They bring forth standing; contrary to the course of most other quadrupeds, who lie during this operation. They continue to bring forth till the age of 16 or 18 years; and both horses and mares live between 25 and 30 years. Horses cast their hair once a-year, generally in the spring, but sometimes in the autumn. At this time they are weak, and require to be better fed and taken care of than at any other season.

In Persia, Arabia, and most eastern countries, they never geld their horses, as is done in Europe and China. This operation greatly diminishes their strength, courage, and spirit; but it makes them good humoured, gentle, and tractable. With regard to the time of performing this operation, the practice of different countries is different: some geld their horses when a year old, and others at 18 months. But the best and most general practice is to delay the operation till they be two years old at least; because, when the gelding is delayed for two years or more, the animals retain more of the strength and other qualities which naturally belong to the male.

As the utility of horses surpasses that of all other domestic animals, it may be of use to subjoin some marks by which the age and other properties of horses may be distinguished.

In old horses, the eye-pits are generally deep; but this is only an equivocal mark, being also found in young horses begot by old stallions. The most certain knowledge of the age is to be obtained from the teeth. Of these a horse has 40; 24 grinders or double-teeth, four tusks, and 12 fore-teeth: mares have no tusks, or at least very short ones. It is not from the grinders that we know the age; it is discovered first by the fore-teeth, and afterwards by the tusks. The 12 fore-teeth begin to shoot within 12 days after the colt is foaled. These first, or foal-teeth, are round, short, not very solid, and are cast at different times, to be replaced by others. At the age of two years and a half, the four middle fore-teeth are cast, two in the upper jaw, and two in the lower. In one year more, four others drop out, one on each side of the former, which are already replaced. When he is about four years and a half old, he sheds four others, and always next to those which have fallen out and been replaced. These four foal-teeth are replaced by four others, but are far from growing so fast as those which replaced the eight former, and are called the corner-teeth; they replace the four last foal-teeth, and by these the age of a horse is discovered. They are easily known, being the third both above and below, counting from the middle The head of a horse should be small, and rather lean than fleshy. The ears should be small, erect, thin, sprightly, and pointed. The forehead, or brow, should be neither too broad nor too flat, and should have a star or snip thereon. The nose should rise a little, and the nostrils should be wide that he may breathe more freely. The muzzle should be small, and the mouth neither too deep nor too shallow. The jaws should be thin, and not approach too near together at the throat, nor too high upwards towards the onset, that the horse may have sufficient room to carry his head in an easy graceful posture. The eyes should be of a middle size, bright, lively, and full of fire. The tongue should be small, that it may not be too much pressed by the bit; and it is a good sign when his mouth is full of white froth, for it shows that he will not soon be overheated.

The neck should be arched towards the middle, growing smaller by degrees from the breast and shoulders to the head. The hair of the main should be long, small, and fine; and if it be a little frizzled, so much the better. The shoulders should be pretty long; the withers thin, and enlarge gradually from thence downwards; but so as to render his breath neither too narrow nor too grofs. A thick-shouldered horse soon tires, and trips and stumbles every minute; especially if he has a thick large neck at the same time. When the breast is so narrow that the fore-thighs almost touch, they are never good for much. A horse of a middle size should have the distance of five or six inches between his fore-thighs, and there should be less distance between his feet than his thighs near the shoulders when he stands upright.

The body or carcase of a horse should be of a middling size in proportion to his bulk, and the back should sink a little below the withers; but the other parts should be straight, and no higher behind than before. He should also be home-ribbed; but the short ribs should not approach too near the hanches, and then he will have room to fetch his breath. When a horse's back is short in proportion to his bulk, and yet otherwise well limbed, he will hold out a journey, tho' he will travel slow. When he is tall, at the same time with very long legs, he is but of little value.

The wind should never be overlooked in the choice of a horse: and it may easily be known by his flanks, if he is broken-winded, when he stands quiet in the stable; because he always pinches them in with a very slow motion, and drops them suddenly. A thick-winded horse fetches his breath often, and sometimes rattles and wheezes. This may be always discovered when he is put to brisk exercises.

The temper of a horse should always be observed; a vicious horse generally lays his ears close to his pole, shows the whites of his eyes, and looks full and dogged. An angry horse may be known by his frowning looks; and he generally seems to stand in a posture of defence. When he is very vicious, he pays no regard to the groom that feeds him: However, some horses that are ticklish will lay back their ears, and yet be of a good disposition. A fearful horse is apt to start, and never leaves it off till he is old and useless. A fretful horse is very unfit for a journey; and you may discover his temper as soon as he gets out of the stable. A dull, heavy, sluggish horse may be easily known, whatever tricks are used to rouse his spirits.

With With regard to the colour of a horse, the bright bay, and indeed all kinds of bays in general, are accounted good colours. The chestnut horse is generally preferable to the sorrel, unless the former happens to be bald, or partly-coloured, with white legs. Brown horses have generally black manes and tails, and their joints are of a rusty black. Those of this colour that are dappled, are much handsomer than the rest. Horses of a shining black, and well-marked, without too much white, are in high esteem for their beauty. A star, or blaze, or white muzzle, or one or more feet tipped with white, are thought to be rather better than those that are quite black.

Of greys, the dappled are accounted best; though the silver grey make a more beautiful appearance, and often prove good. The iron grey with white manes and tails are thought not to be so hardy. Greys of every kind will turn white sooner or later; but the nutmeg grey, when the dappled parts incline to bay or chestnut, are said to be good hardy horses. Roan horses have a diversity of colours mixed together; but the white is more predominant than the rest. They are all generally hardy, and fit for the road; and some are exceeding good. Those of a strawberry colour most resemble the sorrel, and they are often marked with white on the face and legs. When the bay is blended with it, he seems to be tinctured with claret; and some of these prove to be very good. Dun, fallow, and cream-coloured horses have a lift down their backs; and their manes and tails are black. Dun horses are seldom chosen by gentlemen, and yet they may be very useful to the country farmer. The fallow and cream-coloured are more esteemed, both for beauty and use. Those horses that are finely spotted with gay colours like leopards are a great rarity, and for that reason are only in the hands of great men.

There is some difference in horses according to the different countries where they are bred. For instance, in France, those of Bretagne are pretty strong made, and have generally black hair, or brown bay; and they have good legs and feet, with a hardy mouth, and a head short and fleasy; but in general they are pretty clumsy. The horses of Franche Comté are said to have the legs of tigers, and the belly of a hind; but they are short and thick, and of a middle size; being much more proper for drawing than riding. The horses of Gascogne are not unlike those of Spain; but they are not so handsome, nor so active, and therefore they are more proper for drawing carriages. The Limoisin horses are very vicious, and are good for little till they are six years old. Their colour is generally bay, or a bay brown. The horses of Normandy are much like those of Bretagne; and those of Poitou have good bodies, legs, feet, and eyes; but they are far from being handsome.

The horses of Germany are much better and more handsome than those of the Low countries. They are of great use for carriages; but much more for the army, and for drawing the artillery. They have a great deal of hair, especially about the legs. They are not large, but they are well set; and yet they have tender feet. The Hungarian horses are excellent for the coach, as well as for riding; but they are large, though well proportioned; and they are of all colours, and in general very swift.

The Danish horses are low, short, and square; but they have a fine head, and short hair. The horses of the Low countries are very fit for the coach, and they are best known by the name of Flanders mares. The Polish horses are like the Danish; only they have not so fine a fore-hand; their colour is generally a bright bay, and that of the outward peel of an onion; and they are fiery and vicious. The horses of Switzerland are pretty much like those of Germany; which is no wonder, since the Germans purchase a great number of them. The horses of Piedmont are fiery, of a middle size, and of all sorts of colours; their legs are good and handsome, their eyes fine, their ears small, and their mouths good; but they do not carry their heads well.

The horses of Naples and Italy are generally ill-made, and lean; and yet they are good and useful, for they are light and proper for racing, though not for a long course; they never do well in a colder climate. The Spanish horses are very well made, and handsome, as well as very active and nimble; they have good eyes, handsome legs and heads, and are easily managed; they are also good for racing, if they are well kept; however, they are not so good in northern climates as in their own country. The Turkish horses are of different shapes; but they are generally swift, though their mouths are bad. Most of them are white; though there are other colours; and they are large, hardy, strong, and fit for the road.

The horses of Barbary, commonly called barbs, have strong hoofs, and are more proper for racing than any others whatever; some have said they never grow old, because they preserve their vigour to the last. They are excellent stallions; and some of them are used as such in Britain; however, the Arabian horses are not quite so good as the Barbary, though some think they are both of the same kind; only those that are used to the deserts of Arabia are always in action. The horses of the Gold-Coast of Guinea are very few in number, and in other parts of that coast there are none at all; for many of the negroes, when they have been first brought over to our American plantations, have expressed great admiration at the sight of a horse, and even been afraid to come near one.

The horses of the Cape of Good Hope were originally brought from Persia; and they are generally small, and of a chestnut colour; for those that are natives of that country are all wild, and could never yet be tamed. The horses of China are good, and more particularly those in the province of Yun Nan; for they are very vigorous, though a little low. The horses of the Elath Tartars are good and full of fire; and their size is much the same as the Polish horses; they are afraid of nothing; not even of lions and tigers; but perhaps this may be owing to use. In the country of the Mogul they are very numerous, and of all colours; they are generally of the middle size, though there are some as large and as handsome as those in Europe. The wild horses of Tartary differ very little from the tame; but they are so swift, that they avoid the arrows of the most skilful hunters.

The breed of horses in Great Britain is as mixed as that of its inhabitants: the frequent introduction of foreign horses has given us a variety, that no single country can boast of: most other countries produce only one kind; kind; while ours, by a judicious mixture of the several species, by the happy difference of our soils, and by our superior skill in management, may triumph over the rest of Europe, in having brought each quality of this noble animal to the highest perfection.

In the annals of Newmarket, may be found instances of horses that have literally outstripped the wind, as the celebrated M. Condamine has lately shewn in his remarks on those of Great Britain. Childers is an amazing instance of rapidity; his speed having been more than once exerted equal to 82½ feet in a second, or near a mile in a minute: the same horse has also run the round course at Newmarket, (which is about 400 yards less than 4 miles) in six minutes and 40 seconds; in which case his fleetness is to that of the swiftest barb, as four to three; the former, according to Dr Maty's computation, covering at every bound a space of ground equal in length to 23 feet royal, the latter only that of 18½ feet royal.

Horses of this kind derive their origin from Arabia; the seat of the purest and most generous breed.

The species used in hunting, is a happy combination of the former with others superior in strength, but inferior in point of speed and lineage: an union of both is necessary; for the fatigues of the chase must be supported by the spirit of the one, as well as by the vigour of the other.

No country can bring a parallel to the strength and size of our horses destined for the draught; or to the activity and strength united of those that form our cavalry.

In our capital there are instances of single horses that are able to draw on a plain, for a small space, the weight of three tons; but could with ease, and for a continuance, draw half that weight. The pack-horses of Yorkshire, employed in conveying the manufactures of that county to the most remote parts of the kingdom, usually carry a burden of 420 pounds; and that indifferently over the highest hills of the north, as well as the most level roads. But the most remarkable proof of the strength of our British horses, is to be drawn from that of our mill-horses: some of these will carry at one load 13 measures, which at a moderate computation of 70 pounds each, will amount to 910; a weight superior to that which the lesser fort of camels will bear: this will appear less surprising, as these horses are by degrees accustomed to the weight; and the distance they travel no greater than to and from the adjacent hamlets.

Our cavalry, in the late campaigns, (when they had opportunity) shewed over those of our allies, as well as of the French, a great superiority both of strength and activity: the enemy was broken through by the impetuous charge of our squadrons; while the German horses, from their great weight and inactive make, were unable to second our efforts; though those troops were actuated by the noblest ardour.

The present cavalry of this island only supports its ancient glory. It was eminent in the earliest times; our feythed chariots, and the activity and good discipline of our horses, even struck terror into Cæsar's legions: and the Britons, as soon as they became civilized enough to coin, took care to represent on their money the animal for which they were so celebrated. It is now impossible to trace out this species; for those which exist among the indigence of Great Britain, such as the little horses of Wales and Cornwall, the hobbies of Ireland, and the flelties of Scotland, though admirably well adapted to the uses of those countries, could never have been equal to the work of war: but probably we had even then a larger and stronger breed in the more fertile and luxuriant parts of the island. Those we employ for that purpose, or for the draught, are an offspring of the German or Flemish breed, meliorated by our soil and a judicious culture.

The English were ever attentive to an exact culture of these animals; and in very early times set a high value on their breed. The esteem that our horses were held in by foreigners so long ago as the reign of Athelstan, may be collected from a law of that monarch, prohibiting their exportation, except they were designated as presents. These must have been the native kind, or the prohibition would have been needless; for our commerce was at that time too limited to receive improvement from any but the German kind, to which country their own breed could be of no value.

But when our intercourse with the other parts of Europe was enlarged, we soon laid hold of the advantages this gave of improving our breed. Roger de Beleme, earl of Shrewsbury, is the first that is on record; he introduced the Spanish stallions into his estate in Powisland, from which that part of Wales was for many ages celebrated for a swift and generous race of horses. Giraldus Cambrensis, who lived in the reign of Henry II., takes notice of it; and Michael Drayton, contemporary with Shakespeare, sings their excellence in the sixth part of his Polyolbion. This kind was probably destined to mount our gallant nobility, or courteous knights for seats of chivalry, in the generous contests of the tilt-yard. From these sprung, to speak the language of the times, the flower of coursers, whose elegant form added charms to the rider, and whose activity and managed dexterity gained him the palm in that field of gallantry and romantic honour.

The increase of our inhabitants, and the extent of our manufactures, together with the former neglect of internal navigation to convey those manufactures, multiplied the number of our horses: an excess of wealth, before unknown in these islands, increased the luxury of carriages, and added to the necessity of an extraordinary culture of these animals: their high reputation abroad has also made them a branch of commerce, and proved another cause of their vast increase.

As no kingdom can boast of parallel circumstances, so none can vie with us in the number of these noble quadrupeds. It would be extremely difficult to guess at the exact amount of them, or to form a periodical account of their increase: The number seems very fluctuating. William Fitz-Stephen relates, that in the reign of king Stephen, London alone poured out 20,000 horsemen in the wars of those times: yet we find, that, in the beginning of queen Elizabeth's reign, the whole kingdom could not supply 2000 horses to form our cavalry; and even in the year 1588, when, in the most imminent danger from the Spanish invasion, all the cavalry which the nation could then furnish amounted only to 3000. To account for this difference we must imagine, that the number of horses which took the field in Stephen's reign was no more than an undisciplined rabble; the few that appeared ed under the banners of Elizabeth, a corps well formed, and such as might be opposed to so formidable an enemy as was then expected; but such is their present increase, that, in the late war, the number employed was 13,575; and such is our improvement in the breed of horses, that most of those which are used in our wagons and carriages of different kinds, might be applied to the same purpose: of those, our capital alone employs near 22,000.

The all-wise Creator hath finely limited the several services of domestic animals towards the human race; and ordered that the parts of such, which in their lives have been the most useful, should after death contribute the least to our benefit. The chief use that the exuvia of the horse can be applied to, is for collars, traces, and other parts of the harness; and thus, even after death, he preserves some analogy with his former employ. The hair of the mane is of use in making wigs; of the tail, in making the bottoms of chairs, floor-cloths, and cords; and to the angler in making lines.

**Technical Description of the Parts of a Horse.**

*The Fore Part.* 1. The forehead. 2. The temples. 3. Cavity above the eye. 4. The jaw. 5. The lips. 6. The nostrils. 7. The tip of the nose. 8. The chin. 9. The beard. 10. The neck. 11. The mane. 12. The fore-top. 13. The throat. 14. The withers. 15. The shoulders. 16. The chest. 17. The elbow. 18. The arm. 19. The plate vein. 20. The chestnut. 21. The knee. 22. The shank. 23. The main tendons. 24. The fetlock joint. 25. The fetlock. 26. The pattern. 27. The coronet. 28. The hoof. 29. The quarters. 30. The toe. 31. The heel.

*The Body.* 32. The reins. 33. The fillets. 34. The ribs. 35. The belly. 36. The flanks. 37. The rump. 38. The tail. 39. The buttocks. 40. The haunches. 41. The stifles. 42. The thighs. 43. The hock. 44. The kerb. 45. The point of the hock.

For the breeding, rearing, &c., of horses, see the articles COLT, HORSE, and STALLION; for the method of training and managing them, see HORSEMANSHP; and for their diseases and cure, see FARRIERY.

*The Ass* is likewise a domestic animal, and easily distinguished from the horse at first sight; we never confound these two animals, even though they should happen to be of the same colour and stature. However, when we view the different parts of the ass, whether the external or internal, and compare them with the corresponding parts of the horse, the resemblance of these parts is so perfect, that we are surprised to find the individuals so different and so easily distinguishable by the eye. From this circumstance, some naturalists have considered the ass and the horse to be of the same species of animals; and that the small differences between them are accidental, or owing to the influence of climate, culture, &c. Linnaeus's specific mark of the horse is, that the whole tail is covered with long hair; and his specific mark of the ass is, that the tail has long hair only towards the point, and a black cross over the shoulders. On the other hand, when we consider the differences in the temper, the manners and dispositions of these two animals, and, above all, the impossibility of mixing them so as to produce a common or intermediate species capable of propagating and transmitting in the same manner as other distinct species, the notion that the horse and the ass are the same species will appear to be without any solid foundation. Besides, the ass differs materially from the horse in the thickness of the head, the length of the ears, the hardness of the skin, and in the voice, the dispositions, the manner of drinking, &c. With regard to animals, there is perhaps but one permanent and uniform specific distinction in nature: A male and female of different species may copulate, may produce a third animal resembling both, but very different from either: but here nature has put a final stop to all further procreation; the third animal, although it be seemingly furnished with everything necessary for propagating, remains for ever barren. Now, the horse may be made to copulate with the ass; a mule, or mixture of the two, is the fruit of the unnatural embrace: but the impregnation of a mule is found by experience to be altogether impossible.

The ass, therefore, is a distinct species, and his race as ancient as that of the horse. Why, then, should this useful, patient, sober animal be so much despised? We are apt to compare him, on every occasion, with the horse, and from this comparison are led to very false and unfavourable conclusions. The horse is educated with great care and expense; while the poor ass, abandoned to the abuse of the meanest servants or the cruelty of children, instead of deriving benefit from instruction, loses in effect his natural good qualities by the bad treatment he suffers. He is the sport and butt-block of every rustic, who beat and overload him without mercy or discretion. They never consider that the ass would be the most useful, the best made, and most distinguished of all animals, if there were no horses in the world.

The ass is as humble, patient, and tranquil, as the horse is bold, ardent, and impetuous. He submits with firmness, perhaps with magnanimity, to strokes and chastisement; he is temperate both as to the quantity and quality of his food; he contents himself with the rigid and disagreeable herbage which the horse and other animals leave to him, and disdain to eat: he is more delicate with regard to his drink, never using water unless it be perfectly pure. As his master does not take the trouble of combing him, he often rolls himself on the turf among thistles, ferns, &c. Without regarding what he is carrying, he lies down to roll as often as he can, seeming to reproach his master for neglect and want of attention.

When very young, the ass is a gay, sprightly, nimble, and gentle animal. But he soon loses these qualities, probably by the bad usage he meets with; and becomes lazy, untractable, and stubborn. When under the influence of love, he becomes perfectly furious. The affection of the female for her young is strong: Pliny assures us, that when an experiment was made to discover the strength of maternal affection in a she-ass, she ran thro' the flames in order to come at her colt.

Although the ass be generally ill used, he discovers a great attachment to his master; he smells him at a distance, searches the places and roads he used to frequent, and easily distinguishes him from the rest of mankind. The ass has a very fine eye, an excellent scent, and a good ear. When overloaded, he hangs his head, and sinks his ears: when too much teased or tormented, he opens his mouth and retracts his lips in a disagreeable manner, which gives him an air of ridicule and derision. If you cover his eyes, he will not move another step; if you lay him on his side, and place his head so that one eye rests on the ground, and cover the other with a cloth, he will remain in this situation without making any attempt to get up. He walks, trots, and gallops in the same manner as the horse; but all his motions are slower. Whatever be the pace he is going at, if you push him, he instantly stops.

The cry of the horse is known by the name of neighing; that of the ass, by braying, which is a long, disagreeable noise, consisting of alternate discords from sharp to grave and from grave to sharp; he seldom cries but when pressed with hunger or love; the voice of the female is clearer and more piercing than that of the male.

The ass is less subject to vermin than other animals covered with hair; he is never troubled with lice, probably owing to the hardness and dryness of his skin; and it is probably for the same reason, that he is less sensible to the whip and spur than the horse.

The teeth of the ass fall out and grow at the same age and in the same manner as those of the horse; and he has nearly the same marks in his mouth.

Asses are capable of propagating when two years old. The females are in season during the months of May and June. The milk appears in the dogs ten months after impregnation; she brings forth in the twelfth month, and always one at a time. Seven days after the birth, the season of the female returns, and she is again in a condition to receive the male. The colt should be taken from her at the end of five or six months, that the growth and nourishment of the fetus may not be obstructed. The stallion or jack ass should be the largest and strongest that can be found; he should be at least three years old, and never ought to exceed ten.

The ass, like the horse, takes three or four years in growing, and lives till he be 25 or 30: he sleeps less than the horse, and never lies down to sleep but when excessively fatigued. He is more robust, and less subject to diseases, than the horse.

Travellers inform us that there are two sorts of asses in Persia; one of which is used for burdens, they being slow and heavy; the other is kept like horses for the saddle; for they have smooth hair, carry their head well, and are much quicker in their motion; but when they ride them, they fit nearer their buttocks than when on a horse: they are dressed like horses, and are taught to amble like them; but they generally cleave their nostrils to give them more room for breathing. Dr Russel likewise tells us they have two sorts in Syria; one of which is like ours, and the other very large, with remarkably long ears; but they are both put to the same use, which is, to carry burdens.

3. The Onager, or wild ass, has, by some authors, been confounded with the zebra; but very improperly, for this last is a distinct species; for the onager is not streaked like this, nor is his shape so beautiful. Wild-asses are said to be very swift of course; and when they see a man, they make a bound, and immediately fly away; insomuch, that there is no taking of them, but by traps and snares. They have much the same shape as common asses; but they are of a brighter colour, and there runs a white list from the head to the tail. Of the hide of these asses, and particularly of that part next the rump, they make that excellent leather which we call shagreen, and which is put to so many curious uses.

In America there were originally no asses at all, nor yet horses: but they were carried thither long ago, at first by the Spaniards, and afterwards by other nations, where they have multiplied greatly; insomuch, that, in some places, there are whole droves of them that run wild, and are very hard to be caught. Asses in general carry the heaviest burdens in proportion to their bulk; and, as their keeping costs little or nothing, it is a great wonder that they are not put to more uses than they generally are among us.

The flesh of the common ass is never eaten in these parts of the world; though some pretend their colts are tender, and not disagreeable.

3. The Zebra.—This animal has the figure and gracefulness of the horse, joined to the swiftness of the stag. He is about 7 feet long, from the point of the muzzle to the origin of the tail, and about 4 feet high. Plate CII. The colour of his skin is beautiful and uniform, consisting of alternate parallel rings of black and white, disposed in the most regular manner, as represented in the plate. He is generally less than the horse, and larger than the ass.

The zebra is found nowhere but in the eastern and southern provinces of Africa, from Ethiopia to the Cape of Good Hope, and from the Cape of Good Hope to Congo. The Dutch have been at great pains to tame and use them for domestic purposes, but with little success. He is hard-mouthed, and kicks when any person attempts to touch or come near him. He is restless and obstinate as a mule: but perhaps the wild horse is naturally as untractable as the zebra; for, it is probable, if he were early accustomed to obedience and a domestic life, he would become as docile as the horse.