1833.] BREAKING-IN WILD HORSES. 143 



barking, and tho sheep all close in his rear, as if round the oldest 

 ram. These dogs are also easily taught to bring home the flock, at 

 a certain hour in the evening. Their most troublesome fault, when 

 young, is their desire of playing with the sheep ; for in their sport 

 they sometimes gallop their poor subjects most unmercifully. 



The shepherd-dog comes to the house every day for some meat, 

 and as soon as it is given him, he skulks away as if ashamed of 

 himself. On these occasions the house-dogs are very tyrannical, 

 and the least of them will attack and pursue the stranger. The 

 minute, however, the latter has reached the flock, he turns round 

 and begins to bark, and then all the house-dogs take very quickly 

 to their heels. In a similar manner a whole pack of the Imngry 

 wild dogs will scarcely ever (and I was told by some never) venture 

 to attack a flock guarded by even one of these faithful shepherds. 

 The whole account appears to me a curious instance of the pliability 

 of the affections in the dog; and yet, whether wild or however 

 educated, he has a feeling of respect or fear for those that are 

 fulfilling their instinct of association. For we can understand on 

 no principle the wild dogs being driven away by the single one 

 with its flock, except that they consider, from some confused 

 notion, that the one thus associated gains power, as if in company 

 with its own kind. F. Cuvier has observed, that all animals that 

 readily enter into domestication, consider man as a member of their 

 own society, and thus fulfil their instinct of association. In the 

 above case the shepherd-dog ranks the sheep as its fellow-brethren, 

 and thus gains confidence; and the wild dogs, though knowing 

 that the individual sheep are not dogs, but are good to eat, yet 

 partly consent to this view when seeing them in a flock with a 

 shepherd-dog at their head. 



One evening a " domidor " (a subduer of horses) came for the 

 purpose of breaking-in some colts. I will describe the preparatory 

 steps, for I believe they have not been mentioned by other travellers. 

 A troop of wild young horses is driven into the corral, or large 

 enclosure of stakes, and the door is shut. We will suppose that 

 one man alone has to catch and mount a horse, which as yet had 

 never felt bridle or saddle. I conceive, except by a Gaucho, such 

 a feat would be utterly impracticable. The Gaucho picks out a 

 full-grown colt ; and as the beast rushes round the circus, he 

 throws his lazo so as to catch both the front legs. Instantly the 

 horse rolls over with a heavy shock, and whilst struggling on the 



