CLASS I. MAMMALIA: ORDER 10. SOLIDUNGULA. 613 



It may be farther stated that the use of the horse is extremely common in this country, almost 

 every family — even those of mechanics out of the cities — possessing at least one of them. Almost 

 every body is bred to the use of the horse,* even the women being accustomed to drive them in 

 the light buggies and wagons so universal in our country towns. Unfortunately, the practice of 

 horseback-riding, once so common among us, and always so cheering and healthful, especially to 

 those whose pursuits impose sedentary habits, has fallen into disrepute. Most kinds of mere 

 exercise are wearisome after long repetition — jading to the body and oppressive to the spirit ; but, 

 on the contrary, scampering over the hills and valleys on the back of a horse, though repeated 

 day after day and year after year, is always refreshing to the body and cheering to the spirit. 



" With a glancing eye and a curving mane, 

 My horse champs the bit on the bridle rein ; 

 One spring and his saddled back I press, 

 And ours is a common happiness. 



******** 



There is life in the breeze as we hasten on ; 



With each bound some care of earth is gone, 



And the languid pulse begins to play, 



And the night of my soul is turned to day ! 



A richer verdure the earth o'erspreads, 



Sparkles the streamlet more bright in the meads, 



And its voice to the flowers that bend above 



Is soft as the whisper of early love. 



******** 



Bound freely, my steed, for you bound not in vain, 



Since thy master is now himself again ; 



And thine be the praise, when the leech's power 



Is idle, to conquer the darkened hour — 



By the might of thy sounding hoof to win" 



Beauty without and a joy within ; 



Beauty, else to my eyes unseen, 



And joy, that then had a stranger been." 



The Domestic Ass, E. Asinus. — This animal, which we regard as a species under the genus 

 Horse, is treated by some naturalists as the type of the genus Ass, of which the Onager, Hemione, 

 Quagga, Danw, and Zebra are species. All these are certainly closely allied to the ass and also 

 to the horse, some of them more particularly resembling the first and others the last ; but they 

 seem to us only to constitute so many species of the genus of which both the horse and ass are 

 the prominent representatives. It is very certain that all these will breed together, but it is be- 

 lieved that all crosses between them are hybrids, and unprolific beyond one or two generations. 



The same attempts have been made to find the original stock of the ass in some wild breed, as 

 have been made in respect to the horse and other domestic animals, and with the same want of 

 success. It is true that there are animals called Wild Asses in Abyssinia, and also in the deserts 

 of Western Asia, from Tartary southward to Syria and Persia, but the probability is that these 



receipts for entrance-tickets summed up the respectable amount of five thousand dollars. Among the distinguished 

 invited guests were Governor Banks, of Massachusetts ; Governor King and staff, of New York; Governor Bucking- 

 ham, of Connecticut ; Governor Bissell, of Illinois, and Governor Haile, of New Hampshire ; General Wool and staff, 

 and several representatives of the Southern States. Beside these, Mayor Davis, of Worcester ; Count de Sartiges, 

 the French Minister at Washington ; Commodore Yanderbilt, N. P. Willis, Father Taylor, the sailor preacher, of 

 Boston, the Rev. Mr. Stone, and other Boston clergymen, were present. The most exciting of the races which took 

 place on Wednesday was one between the famous trotters Ethan Allen and Ilirarn Drew, in which the former was 

 victor, accomplishing the mile heat iu two minutes and forty seconds." It appears that the occasion was signalized 

 by some very extraordinary horse-taming performances by Mr. Rarey, brother of the celebrated person of that name 

 who is noticed below, and by eloquent addresses from Edward Everett, Governor Banks of Massachusetts, Governor 

 Buckingham of Connecticut, and others. 



* An American by the name of Rarey has lately acquired great reputation in England for subduing vicious horses, 

 and hence has acquired the title of the American Horse Tamer. His performances are undoubtedly very remarkable, 

 but although several works have been published professing to give his method Qf proceeding, it seems that this is 

 really a secret, kept by himself and those he has instructed in his art. It appears tbatdn England, among the high- 

 bred and high-fed horses — the owners of which are generally little skilled in training them — vicious animals are ex- 

 tremely common, more so than in this country, where every farmer is accustomed to the training of horses, and where 

 the breeds are usually of a more docile temper. Hence Mr. Rarey has excited an interest in England which he failed 

 to elicit in the United States, where he first exercised his profession. 



