THE COLT, HAY. 77 



Queen, May-Day, all presented themselves. The last was 

 finally settled on, abbreviated to simply May. She was 

 the first of the Falcon's get, and I had awaited with a 

 great deal of anxiety to see how his first-born would ap- 

 pear. She was a crooked, big-jointed foal, with the head 

 and eye of a gazelle, and I need not add, pleased me, 

 though many called her too long in the pasterns, and a 

 homely, ill-shaped brute every way. 



PRECEPTOR. This is truly a very fine lot of colts, and 

 I do not wonder you take pride in showing them. Had I 

 not been better informed, I would have taken them for a 

 stable of stake colts, and would have expected to see the 

 paraphernalia of racing hung up in their stalls. No one 

 would ever have thought from the appearance of this 

 mare that she had performed the fond and pleasing du- 

 ties of maternity. 



She certainly is no discredit to her sire, though she 

 falls greatly below him in perfection of form. Her fore- 

 hand is superb, but the loin lacks in strength, her ragged 

 hips making it look worse than it really is. The worst 

 fault I see is her hind legs below the hock : they are a 

 trifle cut away, and have not the set that quite pleases 

 me. They are a little too crooked, and too much after 

 the pattern called "cow hocked." The hock itself is 

 good, which also can be said of the canon, pastern and 

 foot. 



I shall be agreeably disappointed if we do not need the 

 protection of boots on these crooked shanks. As to her 

 name, " handsome is as handsome does," and we will let 

 her keep her appropriate title till we think her worthy of 

 a better. The name itself is good enough, and I would 

 not suggest a change had it not been given to several "be- 

 fore her day. 



PUPIL. You caine very near the truth, thinking this 

 animal would need some protection. In the little I have 



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