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5. NOTICE OF A MULE BREEDING.

Mr. A. Fonblanque, of the British Consulate at Alexandria, has communicated to Mr. Darwin a notice of a "curious birth" which has lately taken place at Cairo—that of a foal produced by a mule. Mr. Fonblanque says, so great was the excitement at this unheard of event amongst the native population that it produced an official enquiry—a copy of which, together with a certificated translation, Mr.

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Fonblanque has forwarded along with his letter announcing the prodigium. The latter consists of the deposition of one Mohamed Effendi Ashmani—a veterinary surgeon—before the police at Cairo on the 27th June, 1864, and states that, on the previous day, the said Mohamed had proceeded, in pursuance of instructions received, to "the house of one Ibrahim, a master marbler, situate at Darb el Ahmar, to examine a mule, which had given an offspring. It appears that the said mule had been covered by an ass, as the offspring is a jennet. The mule is twenty-two years of age, and as she has no milk, which is indispensable to maintain the jennet, directions were given for feeding it."

Although Mr. Fonblanque has no personal knowledge of this case, he does not believe that "any intentional deception has been practised." "No attempt has been made to turn the affair to profit by exhibition or otherwise — in fact, it furnished considerable annoyance to the owner of the animal."