268 BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY. 



on terms of settled friendship with the larger ruminants of the plains 

 on which he is found. 



The paces of the horse in a natural condition are the walk aud gallop. 

 As regards other paces, the amble and the canter are undoubtedly 

 artificial, but it has been much discussed as to whether the wild 

 horse trots. We need not enter into the arguments in detail here. 

 The question has received much attention in America, and Hiram 

 Woodruffe has concluded that the trot is a natural pace for young 

 untrained animals; also zebras and other wild equines trot. There 

 are evident fallacies in this argument, but to debate on the paces of 

 the horse here would take too much time and trespass too much on 

 the patience of the meeting. 



Finally, in estimating the influence on mankind of the tvild, horse 

 in the prstent doty, we find a difficulty in separating him from the 

 numerous herds of semi-wild animals which in most parts of the 

 world are utilised as reserves of horse supplies, such as those of 

 the groat breeding establishments in Hungary,* Russia, and even 

 in Chinese Tartary. A description of one of the latter by 

 Prejevalsky may prove of interest: " The great Steppe country 

 through which we passed from Doloknor is the pasture land 

 of the Imperial horses. Every herd [dargu of the Mongols) num- 

 bers 500, and is under an officer ; a superior officer is over all." They 

 supply remounts in time of war. These horses are under 'the average 



* Mr. Stockinger writes : '' Hungary certainly has large breeding establishments 

 whioh I have mostly seen more than once, but you will not find any animal even 

 approaching the serai-wild state. The largest stud is called Mero Hegyes, which 

 belongs to the Government, and covers an area of about 45,000 acres, numbering 

 between 4 to 5,000 horses. 



" They are divided according to breed, age, and sex into small herds numbering 80 to 

 100 at the utmost. Each herd is driven out to the pasture every morning by two to 

 three well mounted men with long whip;?, aud brought back in the evening into large 

 separate enclosures, each of which contains a shed entirely open on one side. 



" They are all perfectly tame, and one could hardly imagine a prettier sight than 

 being surrounded by a flock of thorough bred or half-bred yearlings searching your 

 pockets for bread. 



"Thj stallions are kept in stables all the year round, do the carriage and saddle-work 

 of the superintending officers, and are about a^ peaceful and tame creatures as one 

 would wish. I have never heard a scream or a kick in a stable containing perhaps 50 

 or more stallions 



"Large 1 Hided proprietors have studs kept very much on the same system ; the stal- 

 lions are either private propeity or belong to Government, who let them out for the 

 season. 



" The small landlord and persant breeds horses as a domestic animal more like the 

 Arab. They are about the house or farm ; the boys jump on their backs as soon 

 almost as they can stand on their legs ; and he follows his master about like a dog. 

 You will very often see a farmer drive about the country with the offspring and 

 relations of his team after him. I know a good many books contain still accounts 

 of the wild Hungarian horse, but these are things long, long gone by. 



" The very natural and surest prof of this is that I have mot very, very rarely with 

 an ill-tempered or vicious horse, aud then it can be almost invariably traced to bad 

 treatment." 



