

VERTEBRATA. 



ATTILA. 



the trumpet He saith among the trumpets, Ha, ha! and he smelleth the battle afar off, the 

 thunder of the captains, and the shouting." 



In more modern times Buffon has given us a sketch hardly less poetic: "The noblest conquest 



which was ever made by man is that of this spirited and haughty animal, which shares with him 



the fatigues of war and the glory of the combat. Equally intrepid with his master, the Horse 



the danger and braves it ; inspired at the clash of arms % he loves it, he seeks it, and is animated 



by the Bame ardor. He feels pleasure also in the chase, in tournaments, in the course; he is all 



fire, hut. as tractable as courageous, he docs not give way to his impetuosity, and knows how 



k hi- inclinations; lie not only submits to the arm which guides him, but even seems to 



suit tin- desires of his rider, and, always obedient to the impressions which he receives from 



him. press* - "ii, moves gently, or stops, and only acts as his rider pleases. The Horse is a crea- 



whicb renounces his being to exist only by the will of another, which he knows how to anti- 



and even express, and execute by the promptitude and exactness of his movements; he 



much as we desire, does only what we wish, giving himself up without reserve, and refuses 



nothing, makes use of all his strength, exerts himself beyond it, and even dies the better to 



obey 08." 



Nor is this mere poetry: *" Although the invention of gunpowder has invested the modern 



tie-field with all the attributes of that thunder which the ancients regarded as being possessed 



only by the chief of their gods, it has no effect upon the wardtorse, after proper training, but to 



and make him more brave and bold amid the augmented terrors. Roaring 



■ lery, Bheeted flame, curling -moke, gleaming steel, rolling drums, sounding trumpets, and 



all tin and the din of the hottest conflict, never affect either the courage or the cool- 



teran charger, lie will bear his rider up to the cannon's, or to, or even on, the 



point of the lance, with the same cheerful obedience as if he were riding to a field of the richest 



. and though beaten back, and smarting with wounds, he will return again and again to 



tin- charge : nor will he quil his duty until lie has made the final sacrifice, and his bones are 



thered to the unseemly heap in which horses and their riders lie promiscuously together. 



"I'.ut ii is only while then- i- a rider on his back that the horse continues thus obedient to his 



duty; for when the ranks are broken, and the riders gone, horses maybe seen careering over the 



field, a- if absolutely in quesl of new rider- to bring them again into action ;> and it is said that, 



* See " British Cyclopedia of Natural History," article Horse. 



