HORSES. 



83 



street, in a few minutes. His mode was very gentle 

 He slowly approached a horse, rubbed him gently on the 

 nead in "the direction of the hair, the faster the better ; 

 then rubbed anil patted him all over, going to his head 

 whenever he seemed alarmed. He would put on the 

 bridle and halter ; talk kindly to him, saying, " come 

 along." Put on and took off the saddle, always calming 

 his fears with kindness. In this way, he would tame 

 and subdue by gentleness : the horse would become 

 familiar, pleased, and tractable. 



TAMING ANIMALS. 



Mr. Catlin, in his work on the North American Indians, 

 gave the following account of their method of taming the 

 wild buffalo calves, and wild horses : — 



<•' I have often, in concurrence with a well-known cus- 

 tom of the country, held ray hand over the eyes of the 

 calf, and breathed a few strong breaths into his nostrils ; 

 after which, I have rode several miles into our encamp- 

 ment, with the little prisoner busily following the heels 

 of my horse, as close and affectionately as its instinct 

 would attach it to the company of its dam. During the 

 time that I resided at this point, in the spring of the 

 year, on my way up the river, I assisted in bringing in. 

 in the above manner, several of these little prisoners, 

 which sometimes followed for five or six miles close to 

 our horses' heels, and even into the fur company's fort, 

 and into the stables where our horses are led. 



In the same way the wild horses are tamed. "When 

 the Indian has got him well secured with thi lasso, and 

 a pair of hobbles on his feet, he gradually advances 

 until he is able to place his hand on the animal's nose, 

 over his eyes, and at length to breathe in its nostrils, when 

 it soon becomes docile and conquered ; so that he has 

 little more to do than to remove the hobbles from his 

 feet, and ride him into the camp." 



The following is an account of an experiment by this 

 mode. A horse-tamer saw a farmer and his tenants 

 trying, ineffectually, to break a horse in fhc old way ; 

 and he proposed to try the effect of his new mode. The 



