270 A NOSE-TRAP. 



course on the inside. I put it on the mare, lengthening 

 the head-strap, so as to allow about three inches 

 between the skin and the mare's lips, and offer her 

 no inconvenience but of her own seeking. I begged 

 the groom to strip, and dress her. The moment he 

 touched the roller-strap to unbuckle it, she rushed at 

 the rack-staves as usual, but not the usual result did 

 she find. She ran back to the end of her collar-rein, 

 snorting: he commenced dressing her: she went at 

 him as usual : he was quick enough to meet her 

 muzzle with his arm, giving it a hard blow against 

 her nose : she did not try that game again : she had a 

 go at the manger ; this was worse : after a few trials, 

 she contented herself with squealing as usual, kicking 

 and flying about the stall ; but she kept her nose from 

 coming in contact with the man or anything else: 

 she found she punished herself, and had sense enough 

 to leave off doing that which produced punishment 

 by the act. The man punishing her never had, or 

 ever would have produced the same effect. Could 

 the groom have worn a hedgehog strapping-jacket or 

 shirt, I dare say she would have been cured of attemp- 

 ting to bite him. The lesson of course only prevented 

 her biting or trying to bite when the muzzle was on : 

 when off, she would do as she always had done, for 

 then she well knew a man's skin was not a hedgehog's. 

 This we will call practical education, and is in accor- 

 dance with the system o"f education I advocate. 



I will now mention a case where what I term brute 

 force became necessary to oppose brute force ; but 

 even in this case it became necessary, or at least it 

 was wanted, to do that in two hours that two months 

 would have been a very short time to effect so as to 

 produce any lasting good. A horse was shown me 



