ARISTOTLE AND CAMELS FEET. 37 



Asia (Armenians ?) whom he saw, were in the habit of 

 tying sandals, or rather, drawing socks over the feet of their 

 horses when the snow lay very thick on the ground, to 

 prevent their sinking too deeply. ' The horses in this 

 country were smaller than those of Persia, but far more 

 spirited. The chief instructed the men to tie little bags 

 (Kt>p Ava^) round the feet of the horses, and other cattle, 

 when they drove them through the snow, for without 

 such bags they sank up to their bellies.' 



This is the only mention made of a garniture for the 

 feet of horses by the renowned author and soldier, and I 

 am not aware of any recent writer mentioning this con- 

 trivance in the uplands of Armenia. It may be remarked, 

 however, that in Kamschatka the dogs employed to draw 

 sledges or catch seals wear socks provided with small 

 holes to allow the claws to protrude. These may to some 

 extent not only protect the feet from injury, but also help 

 to guard against sinking in the snow. Arctic travellers 

 have likewise availed themselves of these appliances for 

 their dogs,' 



The only Greek writer before the Christian era, after 

 Xenophon, who alludes to a defence for the feet of animals 

 is Aristotle (b.c. 340). In describing the camel's foot, he 

 writes : ' The foot is flesh v underneath, like that of a bear; 

 wherefore, when camels are used in war, and become foot- 

 sore, their drivers put them on leather shoes ('YIIOAE- 

 OYSI Ka^^a.rivaig).''^ They were probably most frequently 



' See Beitriige zur Phys. Oekonomie der Russischen Lander. Berlin, 

 1786. Captain Cook's Last Voyage, and the later Voyages of Arctic 

 Explorers. 



' Hist. Animal, lib. ii. p. 850. 



