This is the way it worked. It would reach over the fence with its head and lift the gate latch. Then when the gate swung open it would go through into the yard and back up against it, pushing it to till the latch caught. This done, it went to the barn, pulled out the pin that held the door, and walked calmly in. The owner says: "I am of the opinion, had not discovery of the trick prevented, it would soon have occurred to him to retrace his steps before daylight, in order to avoid the clubbing which the stable boys gave him in the morning."
A Pair of Prize Mules
THE ASS, ZEBRA AND MULE
The animal called the ass is a near relation of the horse, one best known to us under its common name of Donkey. It is like the horse in some ways and not like it in others. The ass is much smaller than the horse, being nearer the size of the pony. It has a heavy head, thick lips, long ears, and a tail not covered with long hair like the horse's tail, but with a tuft of hair at the end like that of a cow. A decided difference is in its voice, the bray of the donkey being an ear-splitting sound, not at all like the neigh of the horse.
The wild ass is found through all parts of Central and Southern Asia and also in Northern Africa. It is spoken of in the Bible. The book of Job praises this animal for its love of liberty. Job says of it: "He scorneth the multitude of the city, neither regardeth he the cry of the driver. The range of the mountains is his pasture and he searcheth after every green thing."
Reproduced by Permission of Amer. Conservatory
Mexican Donkey Waiting for the Last Straw
That is a good picture of the wild ass, for it seems to like every green thing. It eats the bitter herbs of its favorite regions, the mountain spinach, the dandelion, the thistle, and the witch grass, and drinks the salt water of the Caspian Sea as readily as fresh water. It is taller and stouter than the donkey, very active and able to bear fatigue. Its winter coat resembles that of a camel, being long and fleecy, but in summer its hair is soft and silky and silvery white beneath.