zed and of poor
quality. Where good jacks are used, the progeny is generally
satisfactory, and at shows and fairs some fine specimens are usually
brought in. Owing to the increasing demand for jennets, the village
breeder is inclined to put his she-donkey to a pony stallion rather than
to a jack-donkey. The donkey mares range from 13 to 13.2 hands, with
girth measurement of 58 in. to 60 in. and shank 6-1/2 in. They have
great room, and are well shaped with a straight back and good quarters.

[Illustration: PLATE IV.

Fig. 1.--Cyprus Pony.

Fig. 2.--Cyprus Donkeys.]

It has been recommended that every encouragement should be given to the
production of good donkeys, from which the best mares could be selected
for mating with suitable pony stallions, such as the Exmoor and Welsh
cob, for the breeding of jennets; and at the same time an improvement in
the jacks would naturally follow.

_Jennets and Mules_

"Owing to the excellence of the Cyprus donkeys and the poor class of
Cyprus horses, the superiority of the 'jennet' (the result of mating the
pony stallion with the donkey mare) is very patent over the 'mule' (the
product of the donkey jack and the pony mare). The jennet of from 13.1
hands to 14.1 is doubtless the most paying animal that the Cyprus
villager or landowner can produce, and its excellence for army or
general pack purposes cannot be surpassed in any country in the world.
Therefore, in my opinion, it is to this class of animal that the most
encouragement in breeding should be given. To maintain the excellence of
the Cyprus jennet every help should be given to the breeding of big
donkeys, so that the plentiful supply of donkey mares of from 12.3 to
13.3 hands is available for mating with suitable imported pony
stallions, which should be placed by the Government at the breeders'
disposal."[2]

Both jennets and mules, indiscriminately called "mularia," are largely
used for transport purposes throughout the Island, and perform
practically all the carting work of the country, but, as explained, the
jennet is regarded as greatly the superior animal.

_Poultry_

The ordinary barn-door fowl is met with in Cyprus, as everywhere else.
The local breed is a mixture of all the various races which have been
imported by private persons for many years past. The most general types
met with resemble the Leghorn and Ancona breeds.

The Island, owing to its climate and its corn production, is admirably
suited to