Mule

:For other uses of the word mule, see mule (disambiguation).

Characteristics

In its short thick head, long ears, thin limbs, small narrow hooves, short mane, absence of chestnuts (horny growths) inside the hocks, and tail hairless at the root, the mule appears asinine in form. In height and body, shape of neck and croup, uniformity of coat, and teeth, it appears equine. Also characteristic of the mule is its enormous phallus, hence the popular colloquial expression. It has the voice neither of the ass nor of the horse, but emits a feeble hoarse noise. Most mules have a brown or bay-brown coat — bay, or bright bay, or piebald occur rarely; a chestnut tint sometimes appears.

Related Topics:
Mane - Chestnuts - Hocks - Croup - Piebald

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The mule possesses the sobriety, patience, endurance and sure-footedness of the ass, and the vigour, strength and courage of the horse. Operators of beasts of burden generally find mules preferable to horses: mules show less impatience under the pressure of heavy weights, while their skin, harder and less sensitive than that of horses, renders them more capable of resisting sun and rain.

Related Topics:
Ass - Beasts of burden

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~