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CHAPTER XXVII. 



COLOUR OF HORSES. 



To anyone who has studied zoology, the variation 

 in the colour of horses has always been a most inter- 

 esting problem. Broadly speaking, there are seven 

 standard colours amongst British horses, viz. : — 

 browns, bays, blacks, chesnuts, greys, duns, and 

 roans. These are mentioned in the order in which 

 they prevail numerically. Piebalds, skewbalds, and 

 whites can scarcely be classified as standard colours, 

 but will be briefly considered later. In each of the 

 standard colours enumerated, there are various inter- 

 vening shades extending from the lightest to the 

 darkest hue. These extremes practically merge into 

 other colours, and in many cases it is difficult to 

 determine where they begin and where they end. 

 The colour of horses is believed to be determined 

 by the pigmental colouring (melanin) present in the 

 blood and skin, and, in passing, it is interesting to 

 note in this connection that the repulsive disease 

 known to veterinary science as melanosis, only attacks 

 light-grey and white horses, in consequence of the 

 absence or unequal distribution of melanin. 



