xxvir LETTERS TO MARCO 179 



horses always lead the browsing, the other 

 animals seeming to respect their superior 

 judgment as to the choice of feeding-ground. 

 That donkeys eat and enjoy thistles is also, 

 as far as I have been able to find out, a gross 

 fiction. Of course they appreciate the sow- 

 thistle as do any other animals, but the 

 common prickly thistle Rosie refuses to 

 touch on any consideration ; I have tried 

 her over and over again. In these parts the 

 donkey is truly the poor man's friend, the 

 amount done by their help and a small cart 

 being astonishing. 



Up at Ipsden and Nufifield are several 

 deep wells in the chalk, which are worked by 

 large wooden wheels, inside of which donkeys 

 go, like a squirrel in his revolving cage. One 

 such is at Ipsden House, where Charles 

 Reade was born, and where his ancestors 

 resided for years. I believe there is such an 

 one at Carisbrooke Castle, though I have never 

 seen it. These wheels are extremely pictur- 

 esque, with their surrounding wood-work, and 



