In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 191 



a horse that he had hunted for some years, yet this 

 horse had as bad a cataract in the near eye as any 

 horse I ever saw that was not blind with it. This 

 horse was passed as sound, and the owner never 

 knew that the animal had a bad eye, yet to a minute 

 observer of small things the horse told instantly, 

 upon going up to it on its near side, that its vision 

 was impaired with that eye, as it always held its 

 head from you if approached on the near side, and 

 did not do so if approached on the off side. Dealers 

 in horses know well what a cataract is, and are 

 always anxious, if the horse has a defect in the eye, 

 to bring it at once into a strong light, so that the 

 purchaser or the examiner may be unable to detect 

 this disease. The cause of cataract is, in most in- 

 stances, from inflammation, or the result of a blow ; 

 this causes a light cloudy appearance of the retina, 

 which cannot be seen unless the examiner brings 

 the horse out gradually from the dark to the light, and 

 places his own face to the cheek of the horse and looks 

 stedfastly into its eye, and watch minutely the contrac- 

 tion of the pupil when brought to the light, The 

 examiner should be very careful and observe if both eyes 

 contract alike, or if in the retina there is a dull blueish 

 white appearance ; if there is, the chances are that the 

 horse has imperfect vision, if not cataract. Indepen- 

 dently of the beauty of a prominent eye, it is of much 

 importance that the cornea should possess considerable 

 convexity, but this must have a limit. If very 

 prominent, the rays of light will be too convergent, 

 which will cause indistinct vision, and the animal 





