HUNTER. 71 



living proof of the better blood, and this blood, 

 this latent energy for work, is comprehended 

 with very good accuracy by persons who unite 

 experience to a know^ledge of the structure of 

 the horse. 



Another abstruse question is, why this supe- 

 rior blood loses itself in a greater ratio when 

 crossed with inferior blood in good build, than 

 with good blood in inferior build, when build 

 itself is one of the best proofs of good blood? 

 This does hold true, but only to a certain extent : 

 that highly-finished interior mechanism of some 

 internal parts, in whatever it may consist, does, 

 beyond a doubt, in many horses with external 

 indifferent conformation, excel in point of endu- 

 rance that of inferior blood in a better external 

 conformation. But some parts of external con- 

 formation denote blood more than others ; for 

 instance, take one horse with every point perfect, 

 and then change his large brilliant eye to a small 

 one ; take another with every point perfect, and 

 then change his straight forelegs to crooked ones, 

 or make the chest too narrow : the former proves 

 more a loss of blood, the latter more that of 

 build ; and the odds would be three to one in 

 favour of the latter for a race. All these little 

 minutise are of material consequence to breeders 

 of horses, or men on the turf ; but practice, added 



