HORSES. 257 



surrounded the dental substance, appear in them like 

 four crescents. The life of horses generally lasts about 

 thirty years ; but they have frequently been known to 

 exceed that age. Then, however, mastication has 

 become difficult ; they get lean, or what is called ' out 

 of condition ;' and old favourites, if they are attended 

 to as they ought to be, after long and faithful services, 

 have their food bruised, and even cooked for them. It 

 is surprising to see what entire rest frequently does for 

 them, even at an advanced age ; and I have seen them, 

 in consequence of it, again taken into a degree of ser- 

 vice when they have been supposed past all work. 



The origin of horses is involved in so much obscurity 

 that it has given rise to frequent speculation, not, as in 

 the dog, with regard to the type of the race, but the 

 quarter of the globe where they were first located. It 

 appears to me that the greatest mass of opinion is in 

 favour of Tartary or Central Asia, where it is supposed 

 that the only existing wild race now lives; all the rest 

 in a state of freedom being feral, or descended from 

 domesticated pairs which have again become wild. 

 Some of these are also on the steppes of Tartary ; but 

 immense numbers inhabit the extensive plains of South 

 America, which are supposed to be the descendants 

 of the Spanish horses, and to have escaped from the 

 conquerors of that continent. Large herds also run 

 about in various parts of North America and Africa, 

 and smaller numbers in England, where they have 

 dwindled to ponies. Mr. Bell, whose authority few 

 would dare to dispute, thinks that the Egyptians were 

 the first people who brought the horse into subjection, 

 and that Africa contained the original race. But the 

 ancient mysteries of the East are only now beginning 



