FALKLAND ISLANDS 



French in 1764, since which time both have greatly increased. 

 It is a curious fact that the horses have never left the eastern 

 end of the island, although there is no natural boundary to pre- 

 vent them from roaming, and that part of the island is not more 

 tempting than the rest. The Gauchos whom I asked, though 

 asserting this to be the case, were unable to account for it, except 

 from the strong attachment which horses have to any locality 

 to which they are accustomed. Considering that the island 

 does not appear fully stocked, and that there are no beasts of 

 prey, I was particularly curious to know what has checked their 

 originally rapid increase. That in a limited island some check 

 would sooner or later supervene, is inevitable ; but why has 

 the increase of the horse been checked sooner than that of the 

 cattle ? Capt. Sulivan has taken much pains for me in this 

 inquiry. The Gauchos employed here attribute it chiefly to 

 the stallions constantly roaming from place to place, and com- 

 pelling the mares to accompany them, whether or not the young 

 foals are able to follow. One Gaucho told Capt. Sulivan that 

 he had watched a stallion for a whole hour, violently kicking 

 and biting a mare till he forced her to leave her foal to its fate. 

 Capt. Sulivan can so far corroborate this curious account, that 

 he has several times found young foals dead, whereas he has 

 never found a dead calf. Moreover, the dead bodies of full-grown 

 horses are more frequently found, as if more subject to disease 

 or accidents than those of the cattle. I'^om the softness of the 

 ground their hoofs often grow irregularly to a great length, and 

 this causes lameness. The predominant colours are roan and 

 iron -gray. All the horses bred here, both tame and wild, are 

 rather small -sized, though generally in good condition ; and they 

 have lost so much strength, that they are unfit to be used in taking 

 wild cattle with the lazo : in consequence, it is necessary to go to 

 the great expense of importing fresh horses from the Plata. At 

 some future period the southern hemisphere probably will have its 

 breed of Falkland ponies, as the northern has its Shetland breed. 

 The cattle, instead of having degenerated like the .horses, 

 seem, as bef(M"e remarked, to have increased in size ; and the\' 

 are much more numerous than the horses. Capt. Sulivan 

 informs me that they vary much less in the general form of their 

 bodies and in the shape of their horns than Engli.sh cattle. In 

 colour they differ much ; and it is a remarkable circumstance, 



