NATURAL HISTORY OF ORKNEY. 



CLASS L-QUADRUPEDS. 



GENUS L— THE HORSE. 



Equus Caballus. Equus cauda undique setosa, Lin. Si/st. 100. Brit, ZooL 1. 

 p. 1. Must. Tab. 50, for the Arabian. Sibbald, Scot. 6. 



The Orkney breed of horses is but small, being that used 

 in the Highland shires of Scotland, such as Caithness, Suther- 

 land, &c. but, when properly taken care of, are neat, brisk, 

 and hardy ; well adapted to the nature of our uneven coun- 

 try ; can bear much more fatigue than the large south-coun- 

 try horses brought hither ; and, in a word, serve well every 

 purpose of the farmer. Some time ago the Orkney men had 

 a vast prejudice against keeping mares, ^nd raised none of 

 their own horses, which were all imported, at a vast expence, 

 from the northern shires of Scotland ; but Avithin these six or 

 seven years, they seem pretty much to have got over this 

 whim, and every man rears as he can afford, which will save 

 yearly some thousand pounds to the country. The shelties 



