From E. L. Layard¹   [September–October 1856]²

Mongrel he is, & will be;—but I have met with them all shapes & colors & yet wearing the—the—I don’t know how to describe it,—undescribable mark of Mongrelism.—³ A dog may look like a Spaniel, or Terrier, or any thing else, but there is mongrel, (& generally coward,) written in his face. by the way, I think the above resemblance may be traced to “impression” Fry & I had a very curious confab: respecting this, & he named many very interesting instances; I will mention one He was taken to see a Horse, which was said to be full Blood, & imported here for breeding— After looking at it, Fry said, “that Horse’s Mother’s first foal was got by a Jackass.—this horse wears the impression then received”— he was much laughed at for his pains, but held to his opinion— Some time after he was taken to see another horse, also imported from England, and he made the same remark. this excited the curiosity of parties here, & strick inquiries were made in England, it then turned out that these two horses were Brother & Sister, & their Mother had accidentally be covered by a Jackass, & got her first foal to him.⁴

I have known myself one or two instances of Bitches being lined for the first time, by dogs of a different kind & ever after throwing one, or more, in each litter, like the old lover, tho’ far removed from him.

Fry also mentioned a curious thing regarding Mules.— A Stallion he says will never cover a Mare, if he can get to Mule Mares,—nor will a Jackass cover a She ass, if he can get to a Mule Mare,—nor will a Drake tread a Duck of the pure breed, if he can get to a hybrid Muscovy;—so also with the Muscovy drake, & this is so well known among the farmers here, that they take the most extraordinary precautions to prevent the Stallions from scenting the Mules, if their services are required for Mares.

Fry never was accustomed to distinguish between the Pigeons, till I pointed out to him the Differences between them, & therefore cannot remember if the Ascension birds had black bars on the Wings, & white rumps, he calls them “Blue rocks”.⁵

Respecting the Greyhound with “very short and much curled tail”, Fry says, he has seen a dog of the greyhound kind among the caffres, with a curled tail slightly bushed. I shall try & make inquiries about these dogs, but I hope you will not think me negligent if I do not succeed;—this country is not like England & for all purposes of this kind, you are nearer to Kafraria than I am!!! however if God Spares my life, I hope in a year or so, to take a trip thro’ this country. I have offered to take the place of one of the Judges Secretarys & Registrars, & go on circuit with the court, this will enable me to judge for myself, & ask many questions. ⁶ No one can tell my craving for travel, & ten minutes of Humbolt, upsets me for a week—⁷ I literally dare not read a book of Travels,—I cannot