4 A COUNTRY READER. 



be one or more a little lame, touched in the 

 wind a bit, or a little out of condition. If there 

 be such an unfortunate horse, the wolves have 

 learnt from experience that this unsound and 

 weaker horse will not be able to keep up with 

 the rest, but will go slower and slower in pace, 

 till it lags behind its companions, which will 

 allow the gaunt wolves with their slow, untiring 

 gallop to approach nearer and nearer, till the 

 unsound or slower horse is dragged down and 

 eaten by its hungry pursuers. 



Now you can at once understand by this little 

 imaginary scene, that in the course of numbers 

 and numbers of years the sick and unsound 

 horses would be unable to escape their enemies, 

 while those horses that were keenest of eyesight, 

 quickest of hearing, soundest in wind, swiftest 

 in pace, hardest in endurance, strongest in leg, 

 would survive. 



So you see how these enemies of the horse, 

 together with the hard life on the immense 

 plains, that existed long ages ago in Europe and 

 Asia helped very slowly and very gradually to 

 perfect that form of life which we call a horse, a 

 form of life suitable for man to use in his wars, 

 in his hunting, for his pleasure of riding and 

 driving, and for helping him to cultivate his 

 fields, and for carrying his heavy loads. 



When man began to use a horse as his servant, 



