EYES. 87 



greatest attention and minuteness. Nothing can more 

 affect his value than the want of vision ; as any elegant 

 horse, that vi^ould readily command in cash tw^o hundred 

 dollars, if blind, in all probability, would be well sold 

 at fifty dollars, which plainly proves the necessity and 

 importance of using on this subject the greatest 

 caution. 



To give a full description of the anatomy of a horse's 

 eye, would take up more room and time than can at 

 present be devoted to this topic: the reader must be 

 content with a description of those parts most familiar 

 and most important. 



The eye is the organ of sight, whereby the ideas of 

 all outward objects are represented to the common 

 sensory ; its form is a convex globular, covered by its 

 proper lids, and enclosed within an orbit or socket: the 

 eyelids preserve the eye from dust or external injury, 

 and an expansion of the muscles and skin, the inner 

 membrane being of an exquisite contexture, that it 

 may in no manner hurt or impair the surface of the 

 eye: their edges have a cartilaginous or gristly rim, 

 by which they are so fitted as to meet close together 

 at pressure ; the orbit or cavity in which the eye is 

 situated, is lined with a very pliable, loose fat, which 

 is not only easy to the eye in its various motions, but 

 serves to keep it sufficiently moist, as the lacliamalial 

 glands, seated in the outer corner of the eye, serve to 

 moisten its surface, or wash off' any dust or dirt that 

 may happen to get into it: at the inner corner of the 

 eye, next the nose, is a carbuncle, which some are of 

 opinion is placed to keep that corner of the eye from 

 being entirely closed, that any tears or gummy matter 

 may be discharged even in time of sleep, or into the 

 punctua lachamalia^ which are httle holes for the 

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