The mule far excels the horse for travelling in a mountainous country, the former being able to tread securely where the latter can hardly stand. Their manner of going down the precipices of the Alps, the Andes, &c., is very extraordinary. In these passages, on one side are steep eminences, and on the other frightful abysses, and as they generally follow the direction of the mountain, the road, instead of lying on a level, forms at every little distance, deep declivities of several hundred yards downward. These can be descended only by mules, and these animals seem sensible of the danger, and the caution that is to be used in such descents. When they come to the edge of one of these precipices, they stop, without being checked by the rider, and if he inadvertently attempts to spur them on, they continue immovable, apparently ruminating on the danger that lies before them, and preparing themselves for the encounter. They not only attentively view the road, but tremble and snort at the danger. Having prepared for the descent, they place their fore-feet in a posture as if they were stopping themselves, they then put their hind-feet together, but a little forward, as if they were going to lie down. In this attitude, having taken, as it were, a survey of the road, they slide down with the swiftness of a meteor. In the mean time, all that the rider has to do, is to keep himself fast on the saddle without checking the rein, for the least motion is sufficient to disorder the equilibrium of the mule, in which case they both unavoidably perish. But their address in this rapid descent is truly wonderful, for in their swiftest motion, when they seem to have lost all government of themselves, they follow exactly the different windings of the road, as if they had previously settled in their mind the route they were to follow, and had taken every precaution for their safety.
In these journeys the natives place themselves along the sides of the mountains, and holding by the roots of the trees, animate the beasts with shouts, and encourage them to persevere. Some mules, after being long used to such travelling, acquire a kind of reputation for their safety and skill, and their value rises in proportion to their fame.
The Roman ladies had equipages drawn by mules, as appears from the medals of Julia and Agrippina, and at this day, in Spain, the carriages of the nobility, and even of princes, are usually drawn by them. We are assured that M. de Thou, first president of the parliament, had the fourth coach in France, in 1505, till which time every body rode to court and parliament on mules.
The progeny between the pheasant and the common fowl, are necessarily mules, as proceeding from different species, although of the same genus. They may be obtained with some little difficulty, which they scarcely repay, as being neither an improvement in form nor goodness of the flesh. It is recommended, as the best method, to confine a cock-pheasant half grown with two pullets of the same age, either game, bantam, or common, as may be desired; or to make a house for common hens in a pheasant preserve near home, where they will soon associate with the pheasants, and be trodden by the cocks. Hybrids, or mules, between the pheasant and black grouse, have been occasionally found on the moors.—Le Keux—Moubray.
Mullet, s. A sea fish.
The mullet is found in great plenty on several of our sandy coasts, and, in particular, haunts those small bays that have influxes of fresh water; they are very cunning, and when surrounded with a net, the whole shoal frequently escapes by leaping over it; for when one takes the lead, the others are sure to follow.
They come in great shoals into the rivers with the tide during the summer, and keep rooting, like hogs, in the sand or mud, leaving their traces in the form of large round holes; but return back when the water ebbs, never stopping in the rivers. They are something like the dace in shape, yet much thicker; the head is almost square and flat on the top; the nose blunt; lips thick; they have no teeth, only the upper-lip is a little rough, as is also the tongue; between the eyes and mouth is a hard callus; the pupil of the eye is black, encircled with a small silvery line; the colour of the back is dusky, varied with blue and green; the sides silvery, marked with broad, dusky, parallel lines, reaching from head to tail, which is much forked; the scales are large and deciduous, and are also upon the covers of the gills and head, and extend as far as the nostrils. The largest are nearly half a yard long, and the flesh is excellent.
Although the mullet are generally first seen here in the month of June, from the wetness of this summer the shoals are later in their appearance than usual. Mullet are taken in draught-nets like salmon, but on this coast a different mode of fishing is pursued. The shoals in hot weather run in with the tide, and after remaining on the shores and estuaries during flood they return with the ebbing water. The following method we employed in our fishing to-day: being provided with a sufficient quantity of herring-nets and a number of spars and poles, we selected, at low water, a sandy creek for our operations, and commenced erecting a line of poles across the entrance of the cove. The nets were then extended along these uprights, and also secured firmly to the bottom of the spars; the lower part of the net is kept upon the bottom by a row of stones, and the remainder laid flat upon the sands. With the flowing tide the fish pass over the prostrate net, and run along the estuary; at high water the buoy-ropes are raised and secured to the upright poles; with the assistance of a boat the whole is effected in a few minutes, and a net-work barrier effectually cuts off the retreat of all within. When the ebb of tide commences, the mullet begin to retire, and when they discover that their egress is obstructed, their attempts to effect a passage are both constant and curious—now running down the nets, trying for a broken mesh by which to force an aperture—now with a bold spring endeavouring to clear the buoy-ropes, and, even after repeated failures, leaping at it again and again. The last effort is directed to the bottom, but there the heavy stones resist every attempt to dislodge them, and deserted by the treacherous water, the mullet are left upon the bare sands.