approaching the vertical" ; he does not speak of the 

 length of this region, but it is evident that since he de- 

 sires the femur as long as possible, he accords to the 

 tibia only relative length. 



The two English authors could not have uttered two 

 opinions more contrary, and I fear that M. OUivier 

 leaves his readers in a state of perplexity when he adopts 

 without comment an intermediate solution. 



The Germans seem to have made up their minds more 

 definitely. One of our most brilliant cavalry Generals, 

 on his return from a recent trip from Germany, told us 

 enthusiastically about the transformation of the German 

 horses in the last twenty years ; perfect homogeneity in 

 the cavalry type, no more runaway horses, no long- 

 shanked beasts, animals wonderfully made in front, but 

 a little short and thin behind. The Germans fear power- 

 ful croups, which incite the horse to pull. Their horses 

 are extremely easy to manage, even with one hand, and 

 the General saw and admired military manoeuvres of ab- 

 solute precision. The fact is that this may be admirable 

 from a certain point of view. 



These diverse opinions show clearly, at all events, the 

 differences which exist in the ease of management, ac- 

 cording to whether the horse has a long or short femur. 



59 



