40 THE HORSE AND ITS RELATIVES 



which have been known to live for considerably 

 more than half a century. 



One of the oldest — if not actually the oldest — 

 horses on record was an Australian, referred to in 

 the Field newspaper of March i8, 1905. This 

 horse is stated to have been foaled on November 16, 

 i860, and was still living at the date of the afore- 

 said notice, when he would have been rising 45. I 

 never saw a notice of his death. The celebrated 

 Godolphin Arabian, or Barb, who died in 1753, 

 was brought from Paris 25 years previously, where 

 he is reputed to have been drawing a water-cart : from 

 this it may be inferred that he was well over 30 at 

 the time of his death. His orrandson " Matchem " 

 is believed to have reached 33 years, while 

 " Diomed," the winner of the first Derby, is reputed 

 to have attained the age of 30 or 31. " Pocahontas," 

 again, died in 1870 at the age of 33 ; while " Touch- 

 stone," who was foaled in 1831, died in 1861. 

 Records of race-horses livino- to agfes of between 

 23 and 27 years are comparatively common. 

 Finally, it may be mentioned that the Duke of 

 Bedford possesses the skull of a horse which, owing 

 to infirmity, was shot when close upon 38 years of 

 age. " Prince," as this animal was called, was one of 

 the old small and sturdy Galloway cart-horse breed, 

 now nearly extinct. He was foaled in Wigtownshire, 

 and taken over at a valuation with an estate pur- 

 chased by the Duke. 



