THE COATS. 803 



it a lighter color, because the hairs are always paler at their base 

 than at their point ; it becomes, on the contrary, slightly darker in 

 the white and light gray, because it allows us to perceive the black 

 color of the skin. Let us cite some examples : the ordinary black 

 becomes rusty ; the burnt sorrel, maroon ; the cherry bay, light ; the 

 dark Isabella, ordinary ; the ordinary mouse, light ; the roan, flea- 

 bitten (upon the body only); finally, the louvet, Isabella and some- 

 times almost white. But in proportion as the hairs grow the horse 

 regains little by little his primitive shade. 



Tinctorial Action of Certain Substances. — Garsault^ has 

 spoken of horses dyed bay, bay brown, or black, in order to prevent 

 their recognition, or to arrange them better with reference to the con- 

 venience of the owner. Unfortunately, at the next moulting-time the 

 horse will recover his old coat, sometimes even fifteen days afterwards, 

 if the color has been sparingly used ! This fraudulent practice is no 

 longer employed ; there are, however, a few dyers who use it in order 

 to conceal the imperfections in the colors of dogs. 



The application of certain medicaments to the skin produces for 

 a short time an abnormal coloration of the coat. Such are the tinct- 

 ure of iodine, which stains it more or less yellow ; nitrate of silver, 

 black ; Villate's solution, pale green ; ointment of the biniodide of 

 mercury, which colors it red ; mercurial ointment, slaty gray ; unguen- 

 tum populeum, vegetable green, etc. It suffices to call attention to 

 these artificial peculiarities, in order that they may not be confounded 

 with the natural ; they are of but temporary duration. 



4. Indices furnished by the Coats and their Peculiarities as 



to the Qualities of Horses. 



What is more difficult to overcome than prejudices and superstitious 

 ideas? Often a simple examination would suffice to overthrow them, 

 but, nevertheless, they always find here and there minds disposed to 

 give them a kind welcome and to propagate them. 



This is shown very plainly by all that has been said and written 

 upon the selecting of horses according, exclusively, to their coat or their 

 peculiar markings. 



The color of the hairs, their shade, the form of the white marking 

 on the head, the number and extent of the white feet, the presence, the 

 form, and the situation of the tufts, etc., have all served as the basis 

 of a thfeory, and the theorists have committed the error of arguing 

 from a particular premise to the general. A brown bay horse, for ex- 



» Garsault, Nouveau parfait mar^chal, p. 36, 4e ed., Paris, 1770. 



