The mule is a hybrid animal, between the horse and the ass, and from its bar renness affords unquestionable evidence of the distinctness of these two species. In mountainous districts the mule is ex tremely serviceable as a beast of burthen, as it moves over steep and rugged roads with astonishing firmness, steadiness, and facility. In England these animals are but little used, and where they are em ployed, it is almost uniformly in the above situations. The breed in this country has been considerably improved i within a short period, by the importation of asses from Spain, where mules are in the highest estimation, and employed by the first orders of the opulent and noble, both for the saddle and the carriage. They are not unfrequently sold in that kingdom at the price of sixty or seventy guineas. To those who reside in a coun try abounding with precipitous passes and rugged roads, mules are invaluable, on account of their steadiness and accu racy of step. In the Alps they are uni formly employed by travellers to de scend roads, the narrowness, obliquity, and danger of which fill the rider with something approaching to consterna tion.
Their manner, on particular occasions of perilous and steep descent, is worthy of being mentioned. Among the Alps the path often occupies only the space of a few feet in width, having on one side an eminence of perpendicular ascent, and on the other a vast abyss, and, as it gene rally follows the direction of the moun tains, presents frequently declivities of several hundred yards. On arriving at one of these, the mule for a moment halts, and no effort of the rider can for the time urge it forward. It appears, alarmed at the contemplation of the dan ger. In a few moments, however, it places its fore feet as it might be sup posed to do in the act of stopping itself, and almost immediately closes its hinder feet, somewhat advancing them, so as to give the idea of its intention to lie down. In this attitude it glides down the de scent with astonishing rapidity, yet, a midst all its speed, retains that self go vernment, which enables it to follow, with the most perfect precision, all the wind ings of the road, and to avoid every im pediment to its progress and security. During these singular and critical move ments, the rider must be cautious to avoid the slightest check, and must de vote his attention to the preservation of his seat, without deranging the equili brium of the mule, the least disordering of which would be inevitably fatal. By long experience on these perilous roads, some mules have acquired the most ad mirable and astonishing dexterity, and having been in particular requisition from their extraordinary skill and fame, have become a source of corresponding profit to their owners. See Mammalia,
Plate XI. fig. 3.
E. zebra, or the zebra, is somewhat larger than the ass, and far more elegant in its form, particularly with respect to the head and ears. It is either of a milk white or cream colour, adorned on every part with brownish-black stripes, run ning transversely on the limbs and body, and longitudinally on the face, and ar ranged with exquisite order, and attend ed with extreme brilliancy and beauty. These animals inhabit in Africa from Ethiopia to the Cape of Good Hope, be tween which they exist in vast herds, possessing much of the habits of the wild horse and ass. Like them, they are ex tremely vigilant, and extremely fleet, and so fearful of the sight of man, that, on his first appearande, they fly off with all possible rapidity. They are of an intractable temper, and the attempts which have been made to domesticate them have in no instance been attended with complete success. Even when tak en young, and brought up with particula lar assiduity, they have yet exhibited a disposition so wild and vicious, as to give little hope that this beautiful race of creatures will ever eventually be of great service to mankind. Our slight acquaintance, however, with them, would render a positive decision to this pur pose exceedingly premature. Should the zebra ever he made safely and easily convertible to the same purposes as the horse, an elegant variety would be added to the luxuries of the great and opulent. See Mammalia, Plate Xi. fig. 4.
E. quagga, is marked with fewer stripes than the zebra, and those few of a browner colour and larger size. The hinder parts of this animal are not strip ed, but spotted. It is found in Africa, is gregarious, extremely fleet, and more tractable than the last species, so much so indeed, that by the Dutch settlers at the Cape it has been occasionally em ployed for the purposes both of draught and saddle. The same parts of Africa abound both in the quagga and the zebra, but the two species are never seen toge ther.
E. bisulcus, or the huemel, is a native of South America, particularly of the rug ged districts of the Andes. It resembles the ass in general form, and the horse in voice, and in the smallness and neatness of its ears ; it is distinguished from both, and from every other known species of the equine genus, by having a divided hoof, and constitutes a link between the cloven-hoofed and whole-hoofed quadru peds.