BREEDING 185 



stud-farm at Birdsall in Yorkshire. An enclosure 10 yards 

 square is formed, with a rail 4 ft. 6 in. from the top of the 

 rail to the ground, and inside a feeding-trough is placed, in 

 which crushed oats are put. The foals pass underneath the 

 rail to feed, whilst the mares are obliged to remain outside. 

 The foals very soon take the hint, and come galloping into the 

 enclosure as soon as the attendant is descried approaching 

 with the oats. A quart or two of cow's milk, if it can be spared, 

 will be a welcome addition to the bill of fare, and skim milk 

 will do quite well for this purpose ; if it can be given till 

 after Christmas it will help considerably in building up a 

 bony frame, for on the way the foal gets through its first 

 winter will very much depend its future well-being. It 

 should be out in a paddock for several hours every day, only 

 being kept at home in very wet weather, when rain or snow 

 are actually falling. The paddocks should be of consider- 

 able size, at least five or six acres, and preferably more, 

 for in very tiny ones the animals soon get tired of the 

 small place in which they are confined, and then drift into 

 a habit of standing about, listening at the door and waiting 

 to be summoned home. In a sufficiently large enclosure 

 they find enough to interest them in moving from one part 

 to another, especially if there is any broken ground in it, or 

 any plantation which hides the view so that some part is 

 always hidden, thus promoting curiosity to go and see if 

 anything is going on in that direction. It is one of the 

 chief, and most fatal, defects in very small enclosures that 

 the whole can be seen from any spot in them by merely 

 raising the head, and so there is no impulse felt to go in 

 search of something fresh. The late Mr. Leonard Morrogh 

 first drew my attention to this about thirty years ago, 

 having adopted the principle at the deer-paddocks, at the 

 kennels of the Ward Union Stag-hounds. The deer were 

 kept in some very small yards, with sheds to go into ; but it 

 was found they stood listlessly about, and when required for 

 the chase were far from fit, and soon tired. By adopting 

 the simple plan of putting up some detached wooden bar- 

 riers to break the view in the yards, and also to hide the 

 entrance into the sheds, and, moreover, by giving access 



