308, Food. 



speed and endurance of labour, it is found indispensably neces- 

 sary, that at least some portion of his food, should contain more 

 nutritious principles than grass, or, to speak more correctly, that the 

 nutriment contained in it, should exist in a smaller compass than it 

 doQ^ in grass. Hence, from the remotest ages. Horses have been 

 fed, in part, upon different seeds, >yhich get the name of corn ; and 

 also upon various pulses, which contain nutriment in as small a com- 

 pass as corn does. When we look at the structure of the Horse'a 

 teeth, and take into account the natural habits and instincts of the 

 animal, it becomes quite manifest that he was not designed by nature 

 to be carnivorous. No doubt, however, can be entertained, for 

 reasons which have been already advanced, that it would be possible 

 to subsist a Horse on animal food, provided the change from his 

 natural diet were slowly brought about. Many years ago some 

 experiments were made in England, in order to ascertain this fact, the 

 result of which led to no positive conclusions on the subject. For, 

 a great portion of the flesh which was given to the Horse, being in 

 a state of putrefaction, the stomach was suddenly called upon to per- 

 form two novel operations, both of which were unnatural to the or- 

 gan, namely, to sweeten the putrid flesh, in the first instance, and, 

 secondly, to digest it, when so made sweet. The attempt occasioned 

 great emaciation, attended with violent purging, and so intense a 

 loathing of the putrid food, that the Horse was observed to struggle 

 violently against the act of swallowing. If the .flesh, however, 

 had been perfeptly sweet, and the vegetable food had been gradually 

 withdrawn from the animal, at the same time that the former was 

 increased in the same proportion, there can be little doubt of a very 

 different result. For, Broths made of animal food, are said to have 



