SOUTH AFRICAN HORSES. 



489 



Also, the indigenous locusts have an unpleasant custom 

 of eating up every green thing during their frequent 



visits. 



Nearly all the grass in South Africa is natural ; " tem- 

 porary " and '' permanent " pastures being comparatively 

 unknown. Consequently, on the grazing grounds there is 

 a very large admixture of weeds and deleterious herbs. 



Fig. 498.— Canadian horse which was ridden by H.R.H. the Prince of Wales, when in 



Canada in 1901. 



Therefore the Cape horse, which has existed for many 

 generations under this condition of pasture, has acquired 

 the useful ability of being able to distinguish good grass 

 from noxious herbage. If he is turned out on the veldt 

 with several new arrivals from foreign lands, there will 

 be no difficulty in recognising the native equine product 

 from the others, by the peculiar way he grazes ; because, 

 instead of eating the plants as they come, he plucks his 



