236 ESSENTIALS OF VETERINARY LAW 



pay for its pasturage and bam feed, or does the 

 parent also give these items until such time as he 

 shall give formal notice of the withdrawal of such 

 privileges ? 



Sometimes an animal is turned over to a friend 

 to be kept and used as his own, subject to future 

 taking back. Such an animal may acquire a repu- 

 tation in the community as the property of the 

 friend. Possibly the friend may honestly under- 

 stand that the animal was a gift, whereas the 

 donor only intended to confer the use of the ani- 

 mal. Perhaps the animal loaned might be a valu- 

 able mare, temporarily out of commission for the 

 owner's use, and in the time she was in the care 

 of the friend she gave birth to a valuable colt. The 

 ownership of that colt might be much more valu- 

 able than that of the dam, and when the question 

 is raised neither could tell surely the terms under 

 which the friend took the mare; and the memory 

 of the two persons interested might differ. To pre- 

 vent possible misunderstandings and possible un- 

 necessary expense of litigation, the gift of an ani- 

 mal to another should always be accompanied by 

 a statement in writing; and the acceptance of an 

 animal in trust for more than a temporary period 

 should be marked by a receipt given by the bailee, 

 and telling the terms under which it is accepted. 

 (See Chapter X.) 



191. Estrays. The finder of property has an 

 ownership right in the thing found as against 

 every one but the lawful owner. Since cattle and 

 other animals are liable to escape and become lost, 

 it is customary for the different state legislatures 

 to prescribe how such property shall be returned 



