STARTING AND SHYIXG. 141 



eventual possessor of, if he buys one whose eyes 

 are imperfect at the time of purchase. 



It is very common to see persons wave their 

 hand up and down before a horse's eyes : the 

 animal gives a motion, perhaps with his head, or 

 a wink with his eye, " oh he sees well enough," or 

 " the eyes are all right," are expressions used on 

 such occasions, as commonly as this most deceptive 

 mode of trial is put in practice. But that I know 

 such supposed proofs to be resorted to, I should 

 have hardly held it necessary to remind such 

 persons that a horse must be (in stable term) as 

 blind as a bat if he cannot see a hand or a some- 

 thing within six inches of his eye. And, further, 

 I will apprise those relying on such proof, that the 

 increased circulation of air caused by the waving 

 of the hand will often make a stone-blind horse 

 wink ; the feel of the air apprises him that some- 

 thing approaches, he w^inks to protect his eye 

 from injury : the motion is natural, and may be 

 called involuntary. Many a half-blind one is 

 bought under such circumstances ; and if the iris 

 of the eye happens to be of a good brown, the 

 sale is certain. 



I am not entering into any pathological de- 

 scription of the horse's eye, nor have I on any 

 ailment incidental to him ; but I wish at least to 

 guard the reader against purchasing a starting 

 horse without professional advice, because he 



