THE EQUIDJE IN GENERAL. 189 



to the rear, while at the same time they straighten 

 the line of the back : the ears are very moveable, 

 independent of each other, conveying sound with 

 facility from all directions : their sense of smell is 

 very delicate: they sleep little; in a wild state 

 seldom or never lie down, and consequently have an 

 individual security as well as the collective protec- 

 tion of their gregarious habits ; most, however, pre- 

 fer mountainous and rocky regions, and with trifling 

 exception all keep out of cover. True horses resist 

 the severest temperature, and can live in the coldest 

 climates that will allow them to find food; and 

 races or forms of them bear heat with nearly equal 

 facility ; but in the two extremes somewhat of op- 

 posite effects take place; for while in the north 

 wild horses are not diminished in stature, the do- 

 mestic become very small ; and in the south, the 

 domestic rise above the common standard, while 

 the so called wild are not more than ten hands at 

 the shoulders. Notwithstanding the density of hide, 

 the asinine section finds heat and barren regions 

 genial, and cold insupportable beyond a certain lati- 

 tude. The striped group likewise bears heat best, 

 but is confined to a comparative small area. There 

 is a great disparity of intelligence between all the 

 wild species and the domestic horse, whose acts 

 often display faculties nearly as elevated as those of 

 a dog ; memory almost as tenacious, and a power of 

 abstraction and comparison, a degree of benevolence, 

 and a generosity of disposition, which, notwith- 

 standing our common ruthless mode of educating 



