172 HOW THE HORSE LEARNS 



teeth. The first time he seizes it he lets it go imme- 

 diately. Afterwards, in order that he should learn 

 to hold it fast for some little time, he is pinched 

 again immediately on his letting it go, and then he 

 seizes it again, the pinching being stopped as soon 

 as he takes hold of the object afresh, and so on 

 several times. Subsequently it is only necessary 

 to make as if one were about to pinch him by 

 advancing the hand, and he seizes the object held 

 in front without waiting to be pinched. This is 

 equivalent to seizing at a signal, at an indication 

 by the hand. 



Afterwards the object which he has seized many 

 times is placed before him and this recalls to him 

 the associated idea of seizing it and he seizes it 

 forthwith and has learnt to seize the object on its 

 merely being presented to him. The object he has 

 learnt to seize has always been the same, but then 

 one may proceed to make him seize others. Thus 

 by small changes at a time, from the idea of bi- 

 ting the horse has been conducted to the idea of 

 seizing by various signals of diminishing conspi- 

 cuousness. 



