38 THE MENDEL JOURNAL 



gencies in both speed and stamina seen in various 

 thoroughbreds. The length, width, and circum- 

 ference of the bones, and the surfaces which they 

 present for muscular and tendinous attachments have 

 differed as widely among classic winners as between 

 them and common selling-platers, or horses too slow 

 for racing. It is not a very rare occurrence for well- 

 grown, good-looking yearlings with good action to 

 realise at public auction anything from one to two 

 thousand guineas, and yet prove absolutely useless 

 for racing purposes. Their failure is due not to want 

 of symmetry, lung space, and so forth, but, as a rule, 

 may be set down to one or other of the two following 

 causes, or sometimes both, viz. : Insufficiency of 

 what, for want of a better term, we may call nerve 

 energy, and inability of the voluntary muscles to 

 respond to stimulation for more than a short period ; 

 that is to say, these horses are either too slow or do 

 not stay the minimum racing distance of four fur- 

 longs for two-year olds, and five furlongs for older 

 horses. 



It seems necessary to emphasise the fact that 

 muscular movements play a leading part in all the 

 great bodily functions. The circulation of the blood 

 and respiration, the two functions most essential to 

 the maintenance of life, are kept up by the alternate 

 contraction and relaxation of muscles. The control 

 of the blood supply to all parts of the body, and the 

 movements of the alimentary canal, in addition to 

 that immense class of movements which are more or 

 less under control of the will, all depend upon muscular 



