The qualities of this animal are so well known, as to need no defcription: His gentlenefs, patience, and perfeverance, are without example: He is temperate with regard to food, and eats contentedly the coarseft and moft neglected herbage: If he give the preference to any vegetable, it is to the plantain, for which he will neglect every other herb in the pafture. In his water he is fingularly nice, drinking only from the cleareft brooks. He is fo much afraid of wetting his feet, that, even when loaden, he will turn aside to avoid the dirty parts of the road.

He is ftronger, in proportion to his fize, than the Horse; but more sluggish, stubborn, and untractable.— He is healthier than the Horfe; and, of all other quadrupeds, is leaft infefted with lice or other vermin; probably owing to the extreme hardness and dryness of his skin. For the same reason, perhaps, he is lefs fenfitive of the goads of the whip, or the stinging of flies.

He is three or four years in coming to perfection; and lives to the age of twenty, or fometimes twenty-five years. He fleeps much less than the Horfe, and never lies down for that purpose but when he is much fatigued. The She-Afs goes eleven months with young, and seldom produces more than one at a time.

The fervices of this useful creature are to often repaid by hard fare and cruel usage; and being generally the property of the poor, it partakes of their wants and their diftreffes: Whereas, by due cultivation and care in its education, the Afs might be usefully and profitably employed in a variety of domestic purposes, and in many cafes fupply the place of the Horfe, to which only it is second, though generally degraded into the most useless and neglected of domeftic quadrupeds.

THE

ZE BR A,

HICH many authors have mistaken for a wild

WHIC

Afs, is the most beautiful, as well as the wildeft, moft timid, and untameable animal in nature. Being larger than the Afs, it rather resembles the Mule in fhape: Its head is large; its ears longer than those of the Horfe; its legs beautifully small, and well placed; and its body well formed, round and fleshy: But the beauty of its shape is greatly heightened by the gloffy smoothness of its skin, and the amazing regularity and elegance of its colours, which in the male are white and brown, and in the female white and black, ranged in alternate stripes over the whole body, in a stile so beautiful and ornamental, that it would at first fight seem rather the effect of art than the genuine production of nature: The head is ftriped with fine bands of black and white, which form a center in the forehead; the neck is adorned with stripes of the fame colour running round it; the body is beautifully variegated with bands running across the back, and ending in points at the belly; its thighs, its legs, its

ears, and even its tail, are all beautifully ftreaked in the fame manner.

The Zebra inhabits the fouthern parts of Africa, where whole herds are feen feeding in thofe extenfive plains that lie towards the Cape of Good Hope. However, their watchfulness is fuch, that they will fuffer nothing to come near them; and their swiftness fo great, that they easily leave their purfuers far behind.

Such is the beauty of this creature, that it seems by nature fitted to gratify the pride and formed for the fervice of man; and it is moft probable, that time and affiduity alone are wanting to bring it under fubjection. As it resembles the Horfe in regard to its form, as well as manner of living, there can be little doubt but it poffeffes a fimilitude of nature; and only requires the efforts of an industrious and fkilful nation, to be added to the number of our useful dependants. Nevertheless, its liberty has hitherto remained uncontrouled, and its natural fiercenefs has as yet refifted every attempt to fubdue it: Thofe that have been brought to this country, have discovered a degree of viciousness that rendered it unfafe to approach them too familiarly; but it is by no means to be concluded from hence, that they are untameable.—They have continued to be wild, because they are natives of a country, where the wretched inhabitants have no other idea of advantage from the animal creation than as they are good for food, paying more regard to that which affords the most delicious repaft, than to delicacy of colouring, or beauty of conformation.

Quaggas, or Wild Affes, hitherto but little known, and not much described, abound in the fame country. They live in herds, and are extremely swift.

RUMINATING ANIMALS.

THE

HE various animals of this kind being entirely confined to grain and herbage for their nourishment and support, it is neceffary that they should be enabled to receive a large quantity into the ftomach, as well as to retain it a confiderable time before it be reduced to proper chyle: For this purpose, their intestines are remarkably long and capacious, and formed into a variety of foldings. They are furnished with no less than four ftomachs. The food, after maftication, is thrown into the first stomach, where it remains fome time; after which, it is forced up again into the mouth, and undergoes a fecond chewing: It is then fent directly into the second stomach, and gradually paffes into the third and fourth; from whence it is transmitted through the convolutions of the intestines. By this conformation, ruminating animals are enabled to devour large quantities of vegetable aliment, to retain it long in their bowels, and confequently extract from it a quantity of nutritious matter fufficient for their growth and fupport.

The great obligations we are under to thofe of this class, render them objects of the highest importance to us. We are nourished with their milk, we are fupported by their flesh, and we are cloathed and warmed with their fleeces: Their harmleffnefs and innocence endear them to us, and claim from us that protection which their natures feem to require; and, in return, they supply us with the neceffaries and comforts of life.

THE Ο Χ KIND.

F all quadrupeds, the Cow feems most extenfively propagated: It is equally capable of enduring the rigours of heat and cold; and it is an inhabitant of the frozen, as well as the moft fcorching climates. Other animals preserve their nature or their form with inflexible perfeverance; but these, in every refpect, fuit themselves to the wants and conveniences of mankind. In no animal is there to be met with a greater variety of kinds; and in none, a more humble and pliant difpofition.

The climate and pastures of Great-Britain are well adapted to the moderate nature of this animal; and we are indebted to the variety and abundance of our wholefome vegetables, for the number and excellence of our cattle, which range over our hills, and enliven our plains -a fource of inexhauftible wealth-the pride and boast of this happy country.

Being deftitute of the upper fore teeth, the Cow prefers the high and rich grafs in pastures, to the short and more delicate herbage the Horse generally felects. For this reason, in our English paftures, where the grass is rather high and flourishing, than fucculent and nutritious, the Cow thrives admirably; and there is no part of Europe in which this animal grows larger, yields more milk, nor fattens fooner.

It has often been remarked, that the Horse and Sheep impoverish the foil on which they graze; whilst the pasture where the Cow is fed, acquires a finer furface, and every year becomes more level and beautiful: The Horfe felects the grafs that is moft delicate and tender; and, being furnished with fore teeth on each jaw, nips it