258 DISEASES OF THE STOMACH. 



reasonable to suppose that it will require to be filled oftener, 

 than the stomach of other animals. If a dog be fed once, 

 or at most twice, within the twenty-four hours, he thrives 

 and is satisfied. But a horse is not satisfied, nor will he 

 thrive and do well, unless he be feeding three parts of his time. 

 A horse at grass is observed constantly grazing : the cow and 

 the sheep, at intervals, lie down for hours together to rumi- 

 nate; but the horse, not a ruminating animal, seldom, if 

 ever, is seen lying, he is almost always pasturing : not 

 ceasing when he has filled his stomach, like a man or a dog, 

 but continuing to feed all day long. In the stable it is 

 usual to feed a horse three or four times a day with corn, 

 and twice or thrice with hay or rack-meat : the corn he 

 speedily consumes, but the hay occupies him many hours ; 

 and, unless he have sufficient to engage most of his time, he 

 is very likely to set about; eating his litter. For, however 

 nutritious his food may be, we learn by experience that 

 quality will not prove a substitute for quantity. 



By the laws of physiology, we cannot on a sudden change 

 the natural habits of an animal, or even of any one of his 

 constituent organs, for fresh ones, without the risk of en- 

 tailing dii^ease on that animal or organ : although we may, 

 by degrees, introduce alterations which become so confirmed 

 by time and usage as in their turn to constitute in effect the 

 ordinary and natural habits. ^' Habit is second nature," 

 and long continued, will usurp the place of nature itself; 

 on which principle alone can we account for the general 

 healthiness of the horse^s stomach, knowing, as we do, how 

 much his natural habits are altered by art. How often 

 do we see horses — hunters especially — taken to work at 

 eight or nine o'clock in the morning, and not returned to 

 their stables before five, six, or seven o'clock at night; and 

 yet how rarely is it that we hear of ill consequences from 

 all this. I beheve, myself, that well-bred horses will endure 

 long fasting and subsequent repletion with more impunity 

 than coarse-bred ones and cart-horses : at least, many in- 

 stances have come to my knowledge of stomach-staggers 

 occurring in the latter, but very few in the former. 



