80 ON THE HORSE IN GENERAL. 



the reafoning faculty. Is it not reafoning, 

 and from experience too, to diftinguifh a mea- 

 fure of corn from a bag of nails ? And is it 

 not by the help, of precifely the fame faculty, 

 that they themfelves difcover the difference 

 between a plumb-pudding and a bulrufh? 

 Becaufe I am infinitely inferior in the power 

 of reafoning to Socrates, or Hume ; does it 

 follow, that the portion which I pofTefs, is not 

 reafon, but inftincl ? If fo, to be quit with you, 

 I (hall take the liberty to alfert, that the 

 mighty powers of thofe men were nothing 

 more than a fuperior degree of inftincl. 



The reafoning faculties of brutes do not 

 feem capable of taking a very extenfive range ; 

 but experience evinces, that they are highly 

 improveable. They reafon correctly enough 

 from fimple ideas, but are incapable of much 

 combination, and feem to derive little or no 

 benefit from analogies. Their memories (thofe 

 of Horfes in particular) are occafionally very 

 ftrono; and retentive, and I have witneffed 

 fa£h, which have been faithfully recorded 

 therein for more than ten years. That they 

 are confeious, we every day witnefs. 



I have many times feen a favourite hackney 

 walking, from her paddock to the (table, 

 through droves of young chicks and ducklings, 

 lifting up her feet, laying her ears, and putting 

 her nofe almoft to the ground, left flie mould 



tread 



