774 THE EXTERIOR OF THE HORSE. 



jewels. It will be described more in detail in discussing the peculiari- 

 ties of the coat. 



2d. The sorrel coat consists of golden, fawn, and reddish-brown 

 hairs, and recalls, more or less, the color of cinnamon bark. 



We will add to this type that which most authors call coffee-and- 

 milk or cream-color, for it appears to us to be only one of the varieties. 



This sorrel coat comprises : 



a. The coffee-and-milk sorrel is of a tint resembling that of a 

 mixture of coffee and milk. According to its shade it is called light, 

 ordinary, and dark. When very light it is more especially called 

 cream-color. 



b. The light or fawn sorrel has a yellowish tint which is similar 

 to the coat of the deer. The ordinary sorrel will sometimes assume this 

 aspect if the horse runs at liberty for a month or six weeks. 



c. The ordinary sorrel recalls the color of cinnamon, not only 

 for the body, but also for the mane, the tail, and the extremities. 



d. The bovine or washed sorrel has a degraded fawn tint, but 

 the mane, the tail, and the extremities are pale, washed, or almost white. 



e. The dark or dull sorrel is of a cinnamon color, bordering 

 upon brown. 



/. The cherry sorrel has the reddish tint of a cherry. 



g. The chestnut sorrel is of a clear, reddish-brown, and uniform 

 color, like that of a ripe chestnut. 



h. The maroon sorrel has the same general tint as the preceding, 

 but shows, here and there, darker spots, analogous to the veins of the 

 maroon of the West Indies. 



i. The burnt sorrel has exactly the same shade of color as that 

 of roasted coffee. It is not rare to see this tint with mane and tail 

 almost entirely white. It should then be described with white mane 

 and tail. 



Several of these varieties are accompanied by peculiar reflections. 

 Thus the light or fawn sorrel may be golden; the ordinary and the 

 cherry sorrel copper-colored; the chestnut and the maroon bronzed, 

 according to the manner in which they reflect the light. 



We will add that the white markings of the head and members, 

 as well as the leprous spots around the lips and nostrils, are extremely 

 common in sorrel horses. 



Finally, with De Curnieu, 1 we will say that we have observed sev- 

 eral subjects of this color absolutely deprived of white hairs. 



1 De Curnieu, loc. cit., Ire partie, p. 179. 



