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am more anxious to do so, inasmuch as it relates to 

 a charge of cruelty towards my favourite animal, 

 which I should very unwillingly remain under. " How 

 cruel," they say, " to keep a horse in a prison on 

 a fine summer's day, and not allow him to snuff the 

 breeze — to make his bed on his native earth — and 

 partake of the common enjoyment of Nature ! " 

 Now, reader, mark what I have to say. 



For what reason flies were sent into the world is 

 not for us to inquire, but here they are ; and one 

 would almost imagine that a curse, like our own, was 

 entailed upon the animals they persecute. Certain, 

 however, it is, that their harassing properties are a 

 considerable alloy to the common enjoyment even 

 of those animals (cows, sheep, etc.) which are every 

 day exposed to the noon-day sun — and this for at 

 least fourteen of the twenty-four hours in the summer 

 season. But how greatly must this annoyance be 

 increased to thin-skinned, well-bred hunters ! And 

 what will they not do to get away from it ? I will 

 state a case or two that came under my own observa- 

 tion in the course of the summer of 1825. 



One of my horses, No. 4, I have already said, is 

 more than usually terrified by flies. My helper came 

 to me one day, and said he could not go into the box 

 to him. Knowing him to be a fine-tempered horse, 

 I became alarmed when I saw him rearing and kicking 

 to a violent degree, and thought he was seized with 

 the staggers. At length, however, I espied a fly in a 

 certain part of his hinder quarters, which was with 

 much difficulty removed, and he then was quiet as 



