CHAPTER XIX. 



THE VOICE. 



The voice of each class of animal — horse, ass, ox, sheep, etc. 

 — is so distinctive that we may recognise their presence 

 without seeing them ; yet, though the larynx in all these 

 animals differs more or less, the difference is not sufficiently 

 great to offer an explanation of why the sounds it emits are 

 so entirely distinct. 



The voice of male and female animals differs in intensity. 

 The wild neigh of the stallion is very different from the 

 neigh of the mare, and the bellowing of the bull is distinc- 

 tive from that of the cow. 



The operation of castration has a remarkable effect on 

 the voice, the neigh of the gelding resembling that of the 

 mare. 



In the horse the voice is used during sexual excitement, 

 also during fear or especially loneliness, during pain, anger, 

 and as a mark of pleasure. It is not possible to convey in 

 words the difference in the notes produced, but they are 

 easy to recognise. 



The horse is essentially a sociable animal. When he is 

 used to being in the company of others he hates separation, 

 and he shows it by persistent neighing. This is perhaps 

 more noticeable amongst army horses than any others. 



The neigh of pleasure is often spoken of as the ' whinny." 

 The word rather conveys an idea of the sound made. 



Sounds which can only be described as screams are often 

 evoked during ' horse-play ' and temper, or by mares during 

 cpstrum. It is not a scream as we know it in the human 



