FISHERIES. HORSES. 161 



coasts, so do mackerel, herring, salmon, sea "trout, and 

 halibut : the latter fish are enormous ; one of them will 

 sometimes make two barrels of fish (of 2 cwt. each) when 

 cleaned and salted down. Seals are scarce, and so are 

 white porpoises. In the Bras d'Or there are lobsters and 

 capital oysters. In the winter, when this inland sea is 

 frozen over, there is excellent fishing in it, through holes 

 in the ice, for cod, haddock, and other fish. 



Cape Breton horses are small, but wonderfully tough 

 and hardy little animals, possessing a turn of speed. By 

 the way, how is it that horses appear to do work in an 

 inverse ratio to their looks and size ? I mean, how is it 

 that the neglected-looking mustang, or the rough little 

 grass-fed Cape Breton horse, can do a better day's work 

 than the highly-cared-for 16-hand English carriage horse. 

 I saw a Cape Breton horse 14.3 high, just off the grass, 

 travel 80 miles on rough and hilly roads with two heavy 

 men in a waggon behind him, and this on a summer day 

 between 4 A.M. and 7 P.M., and he was none the worse for 

 it. I believe it is the climate. The bracing air of the 

 maritime provinces of the Dominion enables the horse to 

 do double work, as it certainly does the man. I have seen 

 a yellow, faded American who could not walk five miles to 

 save his life in his own country, sniff the air of the St. 

 Lawrence, and do his ten miles without turning a hair. It 

 seems a pity that in a country where horses thrive so 

 admirably, they do not take a little more pains in their 

 breeding. By judicious breeding there is no reason why 

 they should not combine size and good looks with the 

 native hardiness, and thus produce a highly valuable 

 animal, which would command a high price and be a 



H 



