60 HORSES. Chap. IL 



middle, and truncated at its lower extremity, with the anterior 

 angle produced into a long tapering point. I mention this latter 

 fact because the shoulder- stripe of the ass occasionally presents 

 exactly the same appearance. I have had an outline and description 

 sent to me of a small, purely-bred, light fallow-dun Welch pony, 

 with a spinal stripe, a single transverse stripe on each leg, and three 

 shoulder-stripes ; the posterior stripe corresponding with that on 

 the shoulder of the ass was the longest, whilst the two anterior 

 parallel stripes, arising from the mane, decreased in length, in a 

 reversed manner as compared with the shoulder-stripes on the 

 above-described Devonshire pony. I have seen a bright fallow-dun 

 cob, with its front legs transversely barred on the under sides in the 

 most conspicuous manner ; also a dark-leaden mouse -coloured pony 

 with similar leg stripes, but much less conspicuous ; also a bright 

 fallow- dun colt, fully three-parts thoroughbred, with very plain 

 transvere stripes on the legs ; also a chestnut-dun cart-horse with 

 a conspicuous spinal stripe, with distinct traces of shoulder-stripes, 

 but none on the legs ; I could add other cases. My son made a 

 sketch for me of a large, heavy, Belgian cart-horse, of a fallow-dun, 

 with a conspicuous spinal stripe, traces of leg-stripes, and with two 

 parallel (three inches apart) stripes about seven or eight inches in 

 length on both shoulders. I have seen another rather light cart- 

 horse, of a dirty dark cream-colour, with striped legs, and on one 

 shoulder a large ill-defined dark cloudy patch, and on the opposite 

 shoulder two parallel faint stripes. All the cases yet mentioned are 

 duns of various tints ; but Mr. W. W. Edwards has seen a nearly 

 thoroughbred chestnut horse which had the spinal stripe, and 

 distinct bars on the legs ; and I have seen two bay carriage-horses 

 with black spinal stripes; one of these horses had on each shoulder 

 a light shoulder-stripe, and the other had a broad back ill-defined 

 stripe, running obliquely half-way down each shoulder ; neither had 

 leg-stripes. 



The most interesting case which I have met with occurred in a 

 colt of my own breeding. A bay mare (descended from a dark- 

 brown Flemish mare by a light grey Turcoman horse) was put to 

 Hercules, a thoroughbred dark bay, whose sire (Kingston) and dam 

 were both bays. The colt ultimately turned out brown ; but when 

 only a fortnight old it was a dirty bay, shaded with mouse-grey, 

 and in parts with a yellowish tint : it had only a trace of the spinal 

 stripe, with a few obscure transverse bars on the legs ; but almost 

 the whole body was marked with very narrow dark stripes, in most 

 parts so obscure as to be visible only in certain lights, like the 

 stripes which may be seen on black kittens. These stripes were 

 distinct on the hind-quarters, where they diverged from the spine, 

 and pointed a little forwards ; many of them as they diverged 

 became a little branched, exactly in the same manner as in some 

 zebrine species. The stripes were plainest on the forehead between 

 the ears, where they formed a set of pointed arches, one under 

 the other, decreasing in size downwards towards the muzzle; 

 exactly similar marks may be seen on the forehead of the quagga 



