Stewie:

Re; your comment above on "dominecker mule" in "Jordan Am a Hard Road to Travel"--I had always heard references to "dominecker hens" growing up in Texas. My Random House dictionary has this to say (which would at least agree with the coloration theory):

"Dom•i•nique
n. Animal Husb. one of an American breed of chicken, having slate-colored plumage crossed by light and dark bars, raised for its meat and brown eggs. Also, Dominick.[1800–10, Amer.; named after F Dominique"

So, a dominecker mule would be one with dark gray and light gray bars (stripes?) on its hide, I think.

Lin