THE COATS. 805 



concerning the indices furnished by the coats and their peculiarities. 

 Thus, Gaspard de Saunier ' does not hesitate to speak of these remarks 

 as " pure fiddle-faddle and imagination !" The old proverb, which 

 says that " there are good horses under all colors/' was not unknown to 

 him, and he leaves us to suppose that the prejudice against white, pale, 

 washed, sorrel, black, and white-footed horses, leprous spots, etc., had, 

 even at that time, numerous opponents. 



We do not intend to examine these strange and incongruous opin- 

 ions. We will, nevertheless, mention some special requirements and 

 peculiar facts worthy of interest. 



In general, in pleasure-horses, the darker coats, especially the black 

 and the sorrel, are sought after, on account of their great lustre, their 

 more brilliant reflections, and the ease with which they may be groomed. 

 Nevertheless, the choice of the coat has at times another guide than 

 fancy and style. Thus, in the hunter the gray is preferred, because 

 this color contrasts more sharply with the red costume of the huntsman. 



At other times the purchaser desires a particular coat for the reason 

 that it is, as it were, a race characteristic. Percheron and Brittany 

 horses, for example, being nearly always gray, are not in great demand, 

 either in France or other countries, if they have a color which shows 

 that they have been contaminated with some inferior races. 



In the French army it is known that at the remount depots gray 

 and white horses are condemned on account of their color, which can be 

 too easily distinguished on the battle-field. 



Moreover, the white and the gray coats are objectionable in other 

 respects, which justify in part the slight esteem in which they are held. 

 They are soiled very easily by the litter and mud, and become very 

 unpleasant, at the time of moulting, to the rider and the driver on ac- 

 count of the white hairs which freely fly about ; finally, they predispose 

 the animal to the formation at some time of melanotic tumors, either 

 internally or upon the exterior of the body, which may occasion con- 

 siderable inconvenience and may even cause the death of the animal in 

 some rare cases. 



We recall, on this subject, the appropriate remark of our col- 

 league Mercier (of fivreux), that subjects affected with internal or 

 external melanosis always have a curly or frizzled mane and tail, a 

 character which should attract attention if it be very prominent. 



From a zootechnical point of view, the white markings on the 

 head, the body, and the members deserve to be taken into consideration. 



1 Gaspard de Saunier, L'Art de la cavalerie, in-folio, p. 51, Amsterdam et Berliu, 1756. 



