POINTS. - 39S 



breeds far from unusual; although in animals of slow work it cannot 

 be esteemed a beauty, it also should not be condemned as a huge defect. 

 The depression of the nasal point may allow less freedom to the nostril; 

 but in a creature whose kind of labor permits slow respiration to be 

 employed, this constitutes no absolute objection ; while many quadru- 

 peds of this formation are conspicuous for their high courage and their 

 lively disposition. 



The leading or distinguishing characteristic of the thorough - bred 

 horse is its superior intelligence. The stranger hardly has spoken to 

 the creature, before it begins to investigate his personal appearance. It 

 appears to appreciate the words addressed to it, and it responds to any 

 act of kindness which may be lavished upon it. Added to this, is the 

 evident neatness of its formation ; the clearness of its various features ; 

 the grace as well as the lightness of its construction, united with speak- 

 ing evidences of strength and of energy. The quadruped appears fit 

 to be the associate of man, and almost seems upon an intellectual level 

 with its master. As we contemplate the lustrous eye, and feel the rush 

 of inquisitive breath, it is impossible not to credit the tales narrated of 

 the creature's affection and of its generosity. We can then sympathize 

 with the love of the Arab for his steed, and sensibly feel that life in 

 the desert would be rendered less desolate by the presence of such a 

 companion. 



Yet this elegant quadruped is cast in no arbitrary mould. Its beauty 

 admits of the same variety which is conspicuous in other animated 

 bodies. The ears usually are small, and approximate toward their tips ; 

 but they may also be large, and the points may be even wider apart than 

 the roots of the organs. Yet, in every shape, a thinness or a delicacy 

 of the outer walls, a nice arrangement of the internal protecting hairs, 

 together with a fineness in the investing coat, attest to the purity of the 

 parental stock. 



A tribe of lop-eared thorough-breds are known to exist upon the 

 English course : this peculiarity, however, is not a distinguishing mark 

 of purity of blood, or a characteristic running throughout the race. The 

 fall of the ear exposes the interior of the organ to the eye of the specta- 

 tor : that circumstance, no doubt, suggested the removal of the hairs 

 which nature placed as guards before the opening. It is now a common 

 practice, with almost every groom, to singe off these hairs with the 

 flame of a candle. Such an agent cannot be safely intrusted to vulgar 

 hands ; probably to this foolish custom is owing the deafness which by 

 horses is so frequently exhibited. Any protruding hair the scissors 

 might excise ; but as regards the interior of the ear, grooms, had they 

 even a slight acquaintance with physiology, would know that the com- 



