Clifton College Scientific Societij. 55 



labouring classes, at all events. Judging from the accounts of 

 those who have joined in horse-flesh banquets, there can be no 

 objection to the use of this new article of food on the score of 

 unpalatableness ; and as it contains the same elements as meat 

 derived from the usual sources, there can be nothing to object to 

 on the score of nutrition. 



In giving an account, therefore, of the uses of the dead horse, 

 we may put down its flesh as an article of diet for its masters. 

 This, however, will apjtly to comparatively few, since the majority 

 of horses die from accidents or disease, are worn out by old 

 age, or carried to the knacker's yard to be disposed of as being 

 past service. The flesh of these latter is not wasted, but, nnless 

 specially unfitted for the purpose through disease, &c., 'serves as 

 food for cats, dogs, pigs, &c.; and it is even suggested that it 

 partly finds its way into that omnium-gatherum of all odds and 

 ends — the sausage. The tongues, too, are said to be preserved, 

 and sold at a high price as reindeer's tongues. The remainder of 

 the flesh, together with that which is deemed to be totally unfit 

 for food in any shape, is boiled down for the sake of the fat which 

 it contains. 



In the American pampas, where thousands of these animals are 

 slaughtered each week, the fat together with the hide, bones, and 

 hair are the only objects looked to, the oarcass being discarded as 

 worthless. It may be as well here to state that a dead horse in 

 England varies in value from 20s. to 60s., and weighs from 500 lb. 

 to 1100 lb. Dismissing now the flesh, we come to the solid part 

 or framework of the body, i.e., the bones. 



I think it would be difficult to find any substance which is 

 applied to a greater variety of purposes than bone. AVhether we 

 want a paper-knife or the handle of a penknife, a set of chess- 

 men or a tooth-brush, a button or the knob of a cane, whip, 

 or umbrella, or a hundred other articles of everyday use, bone 

 supplies our necessity. But, before being applied to these mani- 

 fold purposes, certain of its constituents are extracted, and in 

 order to understand this properly we must enter somewhat into the 

 chemistry of the matter. Most people have noticed, I suppose, 

 that roughly speaking a bone consists of two structures — a denser, 

 harder, external part, and an inner, softer, spongy part. There is 

 no clear line of demarcation between the two portions, one shades 

 off insensibly into the other. This will be more readily seen in 

 the flat bones. In the long bones, such as those of the legs, the 

 interior is filled with marrow. This is one division of the osseous 

 or bony structure ; but there is another which requires some treat- 

 ment to make it evident to the eye. If you take a bone and heat 

 it in an open fire to a white heat, you will find on removing it 



