The mule is a domestic equine hybrid between a donkey and a horse. It is the offspring of a male donkey (a jack) and a female horse (a mare). The horse and the donkey are different species, with different numbers of chromosomes; of the two possible first-generation hybrids between them, the mule is easier to obtain and more common than the hinny, which is the offspring of a female donkey (a jenny) and a male horse (a stallion).
Mules vary widely in size, and may be of any color. They are more patient, hardier and longer-lived than horses, and are perceived as less obstinate and more intelligent than donkeys.
A female mule that has oestrus cycles, and which could thus in theory carry a foetus, is called a "molly" or "Molly mule", though the term is sometimes used to refer to female mules in general. A male mule is properly called a "horse mule", though often called a "john mule", which is the correct term for a gelded mule. A young male mule is called a "mule colt", and a young female is called a "mule filly".
Breeding of mules became possible only when the range of the domestic horse, which originated in Central Asia in about 3500 BC, extended into that of the domestic ass, which originated in north-eastern Africa. This overlap probably occurred in Anatolia and Mesopotamia in Western Asia, and mules were bred there before 1000 BC.
A painting in the Tomb of Nebamun at Thebes, dating from approximately 1350 BC, shows a chariot drawn by a pair of animals which have been variously identified as onagers, as mules or as hinnies. Mules were present in Israel and Judah in the time of King David. There are many representations of them in Mesopotamian works of art dating from the first millennium BC. Among the bas-reliefs depicting the Lion Hunt of Ashurbanipal from the North Palace of Nineveh is a clear and detailed image of two mules loaded with nets for hunting.
Homer noted their arrival in Asia Minor in the Iliad in 800 BC.
Christopher Columbus brought mules to the New World.
George Washington is known as the father of the American mule due to his success in producing 57 mules at his home at Mount Vernon. At the time, mules were not common in the United States, but Washington understood their value, as they were "more docile than donkeys and cheap to maintain." In the nineteenth century, they were used in various capacities as draught animals - on farms, especially where clay made the soil slippery and sticky; pulling canal boats; and famously for pulling, often in teams of 20 or more animals, wagon loads of borax out of Death Valley, California from 1883 to 1889. The wagons were among the largest ever pulled by draught animals, designed to carry 10 short tons (9 metric tons) of borax ore at a time.
Mules were used by armies to transport supplies, occasionally as mobile firing platforms for smaller cannons, and to pull heavier field guns with wheels over mountainous trails such as in Afghanistan during the Second Anglo-Afghan War.
In the second half of the twentieth century, widespread use of mules declined in industrialized countries. The use of mules for farming and transportation of agricultural products largely gave way to steam-, then gasoline-powered, tractors and trucks.
On 5 May 2003 Idaho Gem, a mule foal cloned by nuclear transfer of cells from foetal material, was born at the University of Idaho in Moscow, Idaho. Neither an equid nor a hybrid animal had been cloned before.
In general terms, in both the mule and the hinny the foreparts and head of the animal are similar to those of the sire, while the hind parts and tail tend to resemble those of the dam. A mule is generally larger than a hinny, with longer ears and a heavier head; the tail is usually covered with long hair like that of its mare mother. A mule has the thin limbs, small narrow hooves and short mane of the donkey, while its height, the shape of the neck and body, the uniformity of its coat and its teeth are more similar to those of the horse.
Mules vary widely in size, from small miniature mules under 50 inches to large and powerful draught mules standing up to 70 inches at the withers. The coat may be of any color seen in the horse or in the donkey. Mules usually display the light points commonly seen in donkeys: pale or mealy areas on the belly and the insides of the thighs, on the muzzle, and round the eyes. They often have primitive markings such as dorsal stripe, shoulder stripe or zebra stripes on the legs.
The original Wilson High School campus opened in 1937 on Eastern Avenue, in what is now the El Sereno Middle School campus. Classes were separated into winter and summer classes and took place in tents and old bungalows. The first gym was begun just before World War II and was completed in 1942. The first class to graduate was in the winter of 1940 with a class of 40 students.
The original site at one time had been a mule farm, which is one reason a mule was chosen as the school mascot. Other reasons cited were to honor the important pre-mechanization role 200,000+ mules played during World War I when Woodrow Wilson was president. My sister Marion and I both went to Wilson High School.
When you want to have a romantic dinner evening with just the two of you, whip up this recipe for Cornish Hens in Chianti Sauce. Cornish hens are bathed with wine and herbs, to give them a restaurant-quality taste that's unforgettable.
- 2 Cornish hens
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, divided
- 2 scallions
- 1/2 of a lemon, cut in half
- 1/2 cup Chianti or other dry red wine
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
- Preheat oven to 375º. Season the cavities of the hens with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Fold the scallions in thirds and place one in the cavity of each hen along with a piece of lemon. Place the hens breast-side up in an 8-inch square baking dish.
- In a small bowl, combine the Chianti, butter, garlic, and rosemary. Pour over the hens, then sprinkle with the remaining salt and pepper.
- Bake 55 to 60 minutes, or until no pink remains and the juices run clear, basting frequently. Serve whole, or cut each hen in half.
***Make sure to serve these with plenty of the Chianti sauce from the pan.
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