Il6 UNDKRHITJ. : 



them to greater speed, and this evolution toward adaptation 

 to flight has given us the most remarkable instance of special 

 development that we have in the Animal Kingdom. With 

 this development of flight we have a corresponding develop- 

 ment of the emotion which impels it — fear, which emotional 

 feature in the horse has become so predominating as to at 

 times overwhelm every other mental faculty in one mad 

 impulse to run, in which insane terror he will dash with 

 terrific speed into a stone wall or river with the possession of 

 every other sense lost. A bit of paper moved about by the 

 air currents, or the report of a gun, may bring the impulse 

 which, if yielded to and survived, leaves the animal in such 

 an acute state of apprehensiveness that it is apt to be soon 

 repeated from even less cause. This impulse to unreasoning- 

 flight following sudden fear is observed not only in animals 

 inferior to the horse in intelligence, but in man himself. In 

 the former we have an instance of it in the stampede of the 

 cattle herd, and in the latter, the panic of the theatre audi- 

 ence, from causes as trifling, perhaps, as that of the bit of 

 moving paper, but which if yielded to becomes cumulative 

 and quenches every human attribute of sense and reason. In 

 these cases the exciting cause of the impulse is largely exam- 

 ple, the manifestations of fear in some exciting it in others 

 until the entire herd or audience, as may be, is dominated by it. 

 The horse is also thus affected by manifestations of fright in 

 others and he will stampede in mass as will cattle and men. 

 but he does not need the suggestion from those about him. 

 The individual will as quickly launch into the crazy runaway, 

 and without an instant's hesitation to investigate the degree 

 of danger. It is the one trait that has preserved his species 

 and l)rought him safely tlnougli to the Dawn of Histor\- and 

 man's protection. 



vSome accounts that we lia\-e of the martial emotions of 

 horses in war, such as "scenting the i)attle," " eas^erness For 

 the fray," and "neighing with fury against the enemy," 

 are picturescpie, but are ])rol)abl\' founded upon certain inani- 



