TRIMMING AND BANGING. 355 



shake of the head and neck, will guard this part from flies ; 

 and an unmutilated tail will drive off these intruders, whose 

 attacks on the genital organs and on the thin skin between the 

 hind legs, have an exceedingly irritating effect. The sides of 

 the abdomen, chest and shoulders, which are not within the 

 protective reach of the tail, are covered by a broad muscle 

 (panniculus carnosus), which, by contracting, has the power of 

 twitching the skin, so as to drive off flies or other small 

 irritating objects that may have alighted on it. This muscle is 

 practically absent in man, but is largely developed in the cat. 

 Although the breast is not provided with a natural fly whisk 

 or superficial twitching muscle, it is within reach of the 

 animal's mouth, which consequently protects it from the 

 invasion of flies. The fact of horses being naturally pro- 

 vided with an efficient system of protection against flies, 

 shows that such protection is needed by these animals, and 

 that it is cruel to deprive them of it. 



Unfortunately for horses, the cleaning of horse-hair is a 

 trouble to grooms, who in almost all non-racing establishments 

 are autocrats in the stable. Hence, the vast majority of even 

 hunters have manes that are no use to the horses or to any- 

 one else, and tails that have not much more hair on them, 

 than is to be found on a worn-out scrubbing brush. Luckily 

 for racehorses, the allowance of hair on their tails is fairly 

 effective against flies ; considering that they, contrary to the 

 frequent practice with hunters, are not often turned out 

 during the summer. 



The mane may be trimmed by pulling out the longest hairs, 

 a few at a time, after having twisted them round a fore-finger or 

 stick. If this annoys the horse, the long hairs may be divided 

 by running a half-shut scissors backwards and forwards across 

 them, in the same manner as hair-dressers trim ladies' hair. 

 The ends are held in the left hand, while the right uses the 

 scissors. 



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