350 



REARING AND FEEDING OP ANIMALS. 



jectangle, as in the following figure, and the body occupies more than the hall" 

 of the rectangle. 



The figures given show the difference between the general form of the horse 

 and the ox. 



C C, Cervical vertebrae. 

 D D, Dorsal vertebrae. 

 E E, Lumbar vertebrae. 



A, Bones of the cranium. 



B, Bones of the face. 



H, Sacrum or rump-bone. 



J J, Bones of the tail. 



F F, Ribs. 



G, Sternum or breast-bone. 



I, Bone of the pelvis. 



Q,, Os femoris thigh-bone. 



R, Pastella stifle-bone. 



S, Bones of the leg. 



T, Tarsal bones, or bones of the hock. 



U, Metatarsal bones of the leg. 



V, Phalangeal bones, or bones of the 



foot. 



K, Scapula shoulder-blade. 

 L, Humerus. 

 M, Fore- arm. 

 N, Carpal bone?. 

 O, Metacarpal bones. 

 P, Phalangeal bones. 



2. Hip-bone, huckle or hook-bone. 



In the one case, there is the outline of an animal fitted for speed; in the other, 

 of an animal with great bulk of body, and unfitted for active motion. The horse, 

 which occupied too much of the square, would be regarded as of bad form. In 

 the ox, the more of the rectangle which the body occupies, the more does the 

 form approach to that required by the breeder. 



The tendency to early growth and kindly feeding is likewise indicated by 

 the touch. This property is known to graziers and breeders, who are all fami- 

 liar with the soft and delicate feel of a good animal. They call it a mellow 

 feel, the meaning of which it is more easy to conceive than define. It is a cer- 

 tain softness combined with elasticity of the skin. The difference between the 

 skin of a coarse animal and one possessing the peculiar softness here referred 

 to, can, by a little practice, be easily discriminated. 



The same characters which indicate a disposition to fatten in the ox, indicate 

 it in the other domesticated animals. The fineness of the bones, the large- 

 ness of the body as compared with the limbs, neck, and head, the broadness 

 of the chest, the roundness of the body, and the soft and elastic touch, in- 

 dicate in all cases this property.* 





* The following are several of the popular characters which are generally 

 given as indicating the feeding powers of the ox: 1. The head should be fine 

 and tapering to the muz/le, which should be thin. 2. The neck should be 



