THE HORSE AND HIS RIDER. 83 



leading, and occasionally going round their own troop. 

 Young stallions are often at some distance, and single, 

 because they are expelled by the older, until they can 

 form a troop of mares of their own ; their heads are 

 seldom observed to be down for any length of time ; 

 they utter now and then a kind of snort, with a low 

 neigh somewhat like a horse expecting its oats, but 

 yet are distinguishable by the voice from any domestic 

 species, excepting the woolly Kalmuc breed. They 

 have a remarkably piercing sight, the point of a Cos- 

 sack spear at a great distance on the horizon, seen be- 

 hind a bush, being sufficient to make a whole troop 

 halt ; but this is not a token of alarm ; it soon resumes 

 its march, till some young stallion on the skirts begins 

 to blow with his nostrils, moves his ears in all direc- 

 tions with rapidity, and trots or scampers forward to 

 reconnoitre, the head being very high, and the tail out ; 

 if his curiosity is satisfied, he stops and begins to 

 graze ; but if he takes alarm, he flings up his croup, 

 turns round, and with peculiarly shrill neighing warns 

 the herd, which immediately turns round, and gallops off 

 at an amazing rate, with the stallions in the rear, stop- 

 ping and looking back repeatedly, while the mares and 

 foals disappear as if by enchantment, because, with 

 unerring tact, they select the first swell of ground, or 

 ravine, to conceal them, until they re-appear at a great 

 distance, generally in a direction to preserve the lee- 

 side of the apprehended danger. Although bears and 



