LOOKING OUT. 105 



not so great a desideratum to a horse that is to 

 meet hounds the next day as it is often considered 

 to be. 



When I decry the general use of boxes, I beg 

 it may be understood, that I only do so when 

 alhiding to them made, as they mostly are, as 

 cells : that is, where the animal is debarred from 

 seeing or hearing anything to amuse him, or pass 

 away the time. The reader may smile, perhaps, 

 at the idea of a horse deriving amusement from 

 seeing passing objects, I will, therefore, beg to 

 make an observation on this subject, that, I think, 

 goes a long way in showing that I am not far 

 astray in considering that horses do derive amuse- 

 ment from such circumstances. Most people 

 Have, no doubt, frequently seen a dog looking out 

 of a window, and turning his head in the direc- 

 tion of passing objects, in fact, watching their 

 motions. He is neither forced, taught, nor told 

 to do this ; it is a voluntary act of his own ; of 

 course it amuses him, or, at all events, he finds a 

 gratification of some sort in doing it. If a dog 

 does so, why not a horse ? 



The reader who might smile, as I above said, 

 at my opinion, may say he never remarked a 

 horse looking out of a window. I can't help that. 

 I have, many (not a drawing-room window, I 

 grant) ; but I never saw a horse shut up loose in 

 a box that had a window in it, that he could get 



