CRIB-BITING. 61 



be unsound. If the habit exists in a slight 

 degree — that is, if the horse only occasionally 

 bites his crib, but supports his condition, and 

 can perform all the duties of a horse, then I should 

 say he was not unsound. 



"On his cross-examination, the witness stated 

 that the habit of crib-biting frequently produced 

 a disordered function, which was the effect of 

 swallowing the air in the attempt to lay hold of 

 some fixed object. That produced indigestion 

 and a disordered stomach, a difficulty of breath- 

 ing, with spasms and inflammation ; and if the 

 disorder got lower down, it produced a disorder 

 of the bowels. The habit of crib-biting might 

 be acquired from imitating other horses ; but 

 that was by no means the most frequent cause. 

 It frequently attached to high-bred horses, and 

 others that were kept long without food. In 

 ninety-nine cases out of a hundred that was the 

 main cause of crib-biting. As the horse in ques- 

 tion had been stated to be in good condition, 

 witness should infer that none of its functions 

 were impaired, and its health was not affected 

 by this habit; and his opinion was, that, in 

 gi;.ieral, crib-biting did not affect the health of 

 tlie animal. 



