CHAPTER XXXVIII 



THE HORSE 

 (Continued) 



" TV TOW let us say a few words about the horse's 

 111 coat, the growth of hair that covers its body. 

 This may be of uniform color or of two or more dif- 

 ferent colors. Coats of uniform color are the white, 

 the black, and the chestnut. The two first do not 

 need any explanation. A horse is chestnut when its 

 coat is of a reddish or yellowish tint. 



" Among the composite coats, the following are 

 distinguished. The horse is piebald if the coloring 

 is in large splashes, some white, others black or red. 

 It is flee-bitten gray if the coat is a mixture of white, 

 black, and red, over the whole body, legs and all ; but 

 if the legs are black while the body presents a com- 

 bination of the three tints, the horse is roan. Bay 

 horses have a chestnut-colored coat, that is to say 

 reddish or yellowish, with the legs, the mane, and 

 the tail brown or black. The coat is dappled when 

 it is thickly sprinkled with light spots on a darker 

 background of uniform color. Dappled gray is com- 

 mon. It is dun when the color is yellowish with a 

 brown stripe on the back, a peculiarity rather com- 

 mon in the donkey and mule. A number of other 

 terms are used in describing a horse 's coat in detail. 



354 



