PART X 



EXPLANATION OF THE CALLOSITIES ON THE 

 LEGS OF EQUINE ANIMALS AND OTHERS 



ONE of the features which distinguish the Horse from the Ass is the 

 presence of callosities on the inner aspect of all four legs in the 

 Horse, while in the Ass and Zebra these callosities are present only 

 on the fore-legs. In the Horse, on the fore-legs, they are above the 

 wrists (commonly called knees) ; and on the hind-legs, they are 

 below the heels (commonly called hocks). 



One day, at the sea-side, I was examining some little Donkeys 

 which had stripes on their legs. I asked the Donkey-boy, * What 

 are those things on the inside of the Donkey's fore-legs ? ' He said y 

 ' I don't know, I will go and ask ' ; he added, ' but I can tell you 

 what that mark on the Donkey's back is.' ' What is it ? ' I said. 

 He replied, ' When Jesus Christ went to Jerusalem he rode a 

 Donkey, and after that it had the sign of the cross on its back/ I 

 suppose he inferred that his little Donkey was a descendant of that. 

 The event of the entrance into Jerusalem, be it remembered, must 

 have been a good bit before the Crucifixion ! 



A well-dressed man who was standing by and heard our con- 

 versation said' Every gentleman knows what those things are on 

 the Donkey's fore-legs. They are corns.' ' But,' said I, ' they are 

 very different from our corns.' ' Yes/ he observed, ' the corns of 

 Horses and Donkeys are different.' 



