Take a little fresh _black-thorn_ bark and a few young tops of _briar_;
boil them in water, and when you think all the dye is extracted, take
them out, and put in a small bit of your stuff for trial, and, if you
like the colour, put in the whole when boiling, and boil till it comes
to your liking. _Bush-thorn_ bark, when ground, if fresh, will, in
turmeric, give a rich golden cinnamon.
ASH-COLOURED FALCON, _s._ This bird is smaller than the _Hen
Harrier_ or _Ringtail_, with which it is frequently confounded.
It is a scarce bird, though Selby says he has taken it in
Northumberland, where it breeds on the open moors. Pennant calls
it a variety of the _Ringtail_.
ASININE, _a._ Belonging to an ass.
ASS, _s._ An animal of burden.
This animal, though now so common in all parts of these islands, was
entirely lost among us during the reign of Queen Elizabeth, for
Hollingshed informs us, that in his time “our lande did yield no asses.”
Yet we are not to suppose that so useful an animal was unknown here
before that period; in fact, mention is made of them as early as the
time of King Ethelred, above five hundred years preceding, and again in
the reign of Henry III., so that it must have been owing to some
accident that the race was extinct during the reign of Elizabeth. We are
not certain as to the time it was again introduced, probably in the
succeeding reign, when our intercourse with Spain was renewed, in which
country this animal was greatly used.
Their constitution is so hardy, that even in the depth of winter, the
most wretched hovel is sufficient for them from the cold; and so
temperate are they with respect to food, that they can subsist on such
vegetables as almost any other animal would refuse to eat. The thistle
and plantain, which generally grow in abundance on waste lands and along
the sides of roads, afford them a sufficient feast after their day of
toil is concluded.
When young they are sprightly, handsome, light, and even graceful; but
they soon lose those qualities, either from age or bad treatment, and
become slow, stubborn, and headstrong. The ass is strongly attached to
his master, notwithstanding he is usually ill-treated; he will scent him
at a great distance, and distinguish him from any other person. Of all
the animals covered with hair he is the least subject to vermin, which
apparently proceeds from the peculiar hardness and dryness of the skin;
and for the same reason he is less sensible than the horse to the whip,
and to the stinging of flies.
The milk of the ass is the lightest of all milks, and is recommended by
medical men to persons of delicate stomachs.
The age of the ass is equal to that of the horse, and even in some
instances, exceeds it. One which died in 1782 had been employed in
turning the water-wheel at a deep well in Carisbrook Castle for forty
years.
By far the largest breed of asses at this time known in the world is in
Spain; they are large, strong, elegant, and stately animals, often
fifteen hands or more in height. The best of this breed sell there at
very high prices, sometimes for as much as a hundred guineas each, and
upwards. In other countries of Europe the ass is nearly as much
neglected as it is in Great Britain. In Sardinia there is a race of
asses that are very little larger than dogs; they seldom exceed two feet
in height, and are in all respects proportionately small.
As the skin of the ass is very hard, and very elastic, it is used for
different purposes, such as to make drums, shoes, and thick parchment
for pocket-books, which latter is slightly varnished over. It is also of
ass’s skin that the orientals make their sagri, or, as we call it,
shagreen. Probably, too, the bones of asses are harder than those of
other animals, since the ancients made their best-sounding flutes of
them. In proportion to his size, the ass can carry a greater weight than
any other animal; he sleeps much less than the horse, and never lies
down for that purpose, unless very much tired.—_Le Keux._
ASTHMA, _s._ A frequent, difficult, and short respiration, joined
with a hissing sound and a cough.