274 Transactions. — Miscellaneous. 



experience tended, should have been altogether an impossi- 

 bility. When we arrived at the house (we then had no stock- 

 yard, but kept a small slab of wood for each horse, upon which 

 on like occasions a small sprinkling of salt was placed to 

 encourage their homing instincts, for this situation was ninety 

 miles inland) I examined the new foal, and it gradually 

 dawned on me that my mount (Creamy) was its mother, 

 which accounted for her wild excitement during my ride. 

 The remarkable fact of this anecdote was that the gelding 

 and the foal had established a strong bond of friendship, and 

 were inseparable. Ostrich bit and kicked at the other horses, 

 and would not allow the mother to claim her foal. Ulti- 

 mately I took Ostrich for a two days' ride, and left the foal, 

 expecting it to starve to death, for it showed great fear of its 

 own mother, but when I returned the foal was well, and had' 

 accepted the attentions of its anxious parent. 



About the year 1860 I rode some distance for flour, and I 

 took a second mare and a packsaddle with me. The follow- 

 ing day, when returning with 1 cwt. of flour on either side of 

 the pack-horse, I was met by a three-year-old stallion, who 

 took up a position in front of my mares, with head down and 

 ears laid back, and I was unable to urge them forward. I 

 then dismounted and collected some stones, and, by a few 

 skilful shots, succeeded in driving the animal behind me ; but 

 unfortunately the two mares began at the same time to move 

 homeward, and the horse, noticing this, galloped round me 

 and took possession. I had the satisfaction of seeing my 

 mares and the then greatly valued flour disappear at a gallop, 

 leaving me to follow on foot in a dejected and sorrowful state 

 of mind. 



As most people are aware, the horse will show fear or 

 surprise by trotting around with a high pounding action, with 

 head held high, and neck arched, and mane flowing in the 

 breeze, occasionally stopping and intently gazing directly 

 towards the object of anxiety, and snorting or loudly blowing 

 through his nostrils. Our horses greatly feared even the 

 smell of three she asses which were owned by a neighbour ; so 

 much so that without the donkeys being in sight it was 

 difficult to ride them close to this person's abode, the small 

 shrubs and hedge being evidently considered lurking-places 

 for these dread animals. One time during my absence this 

 neighbour thought it a favourable opportunity to secretly 

 obtain the services of my horse Jersey to raise mules. He 

 managed to get Jersey into the same stockyard with the 

 donkeys, when he broke away, urged by intense fear, and, 

 jumping the 7 ft. fence, took across country as hard as he 

 could lay legs to the ground. This came to my knowledge 

 years after the occurrence of the episode. 



