398 



THE MODERN SYSTEM 



nation,'discovered the injury, took off the shoe, 

 and replaced it more carefully, which having 

 done, the sagacious creature set off at a merry 

 pace homewards. Soon after, Mr. Lane's 

 servants passed by the forge in quest of the 

 animal, and upon inquiry, received for answer ; 

 *' Oh, he has been here and got shod, and is 

 gone home again." 



A curious instance of instinct, in our re- 

 collection, occurred at Bristol some few years 

 ago ; and which may go in proof that Horses 

 possess the faculty of recollection to a surpris- 

 ing degree. A person, who appeared to be 

 a townsman, recognized a Horse, bestrode by 

 a countryman, to be one which he himself had 

 lost about nine months before. He seized his 

 property (as indeed any one has a right to do, 

 wherever it may be found, by day), and put 

 in his claim : " This is my Horse, and I will 

 prove it In two minutes, or quit my claim." 

 He then liberated the Horse from restraint, let 

 him go at large, and declared his proof to be 

 in that the Horse would be found at his stables 

 at some distance ; a fact that was proved in a 

 few minutes, by the two claimants and several 

 by-standers repairing to the stables, where 

 they found the Horse " quite at home." 



SAGACITY IN A HORSE. 



Seldom do we meet v\'ith so near an ap- 

 proach towards mind in the brute creation, 

 as is evinced by the Horse of Horncastle, Lin- 

 colnshire, set forth in the Boston paper, as 

 follows : — 



Mr. Treevor, of Horncastle Lincolnshire, 

 has a Horse which is, at times, let loose in a 

 yard adjoining the stable, where stand a pump 

 and a water trough. This Horse is endowed 

 with such sagacity as the same species is 

 rarely known to possess, viz. the cunning of 



pumping its own water to drink. As the 

 pump is frequently used by many persons in 

 the course of every day, it is supposed the 

 docile animal has learned this extraordinary 

 art by noticing them. Since the yard which 

 surrounds the pump is always open to public 

 inspection, many persons have with admiration 

 observed this sagacious Horse lifting up the 

 the handle with its nose, and then pressing it 

 down in the same way. Such of our readers 

 as may have experienced the corroding bitter- 

 ness of that sorrow which the unkindness of 

 prejudiced neighbours inflict, will doubtless 

 admire as the pleasing trait in the character 

 of this noble animal, the amiable instinct, the 

 generous friendship which inclines him to 

 supply a fellow-companion, another Horse in 

 the same yard, with a daily banquet from the 

 trough, into which he pumps for it a suffi- 

 ciency of water, before he attempts to satisfy 

 himself! Such an instance of neighbourly 

 kindness exhibited by a much inferior race, 

 must surely be intended to put to shame the 

 hard-hearted and the cruel among mankind. 



RACING. MOUNTING. 



See ! the jockies neatly and lightly attired, 

 in the chosen and regular colours of their 

 masters, or employers, and nicely weighed, are 

 mounting: their high-bred and well-trained 

 racers. The Horses themselves are either 

 patient, or impatiently curvetting", according 

 to their disposition, or experience of the course 

 on which they are about to contend ; but all 

 of them are instinctively informed of its nature 

 and intent. They well know they are about 

 to contest the palm of speed and stoutness of 

 heart ; and many of them, in consequence, 

 exhibit symptoms of the highest degree of 

 anxiety and irritability. An interval of 



