110 FORM AND ACTION. 



is with difficulty that the -former moves his body to determine it 

 into the place required. He gathers the ground heavily under him 

 at each step, and the translation of his bulk is but tardily effected. 

 The latter, on the contary, flies like an arrow from a bow, and scarce- 

 ly imprints the ground with his shoe ; often running over a space 

 of four miles in less than eight minutes. These are, however, but 

 individuals of the same class. The number of parts which conspire 

 to effect their respective progression is the same in each ; but these 

 parts differ in their bulk, their extent, and their direction ; from 

 whence result different degrees of power in the levers which they 

 form. So that we are not to imagine that the mass or weight is 

 the only cause of his slowness, which rather proceeds from mechani- 

 cal arrangement of the parts, whose relation and correspondence 

 determine the extent of his motions." No doubt, allowances must 

 be made for " the mass or weight" of the cart-horse as compared 

 with the blood-horse : it is not so much, however, the dead weight 

 of their bodies as it is the bulk of their frames — that which is spread 

 out in the one being condensed and consolidated in the other, with- 

 out any material loss of power or strength. A reduction of the 

 bulk of parts, renders them not only actually lighter but fitter for 

 conve} r ance through the air at a quick rate ; and when this is 

 effected with increased advantages of lever and facilities for motion, 

 speed must result : the loss of strength not being commensurate 

 with the gain of speed. What, however, as I said before, has as 

 much or more to do with enhancing the animal's powers of speed 

 and endurance than either his diminished bulk on any notable 

 differences in the " mechanical arrangement" of parts, is the dif- 

 ference of texture between one and the other, combined with the 

 endowment of a higher amount of nervous energy : for, regard the 

 differences of structure or texture as we may, they are still of 

 themselves insufficient to account for those excellencies which are 

 comprehended in the phrase " blood" or " breeding" ; and which 

 we well know from experience will carry the animal through his 

 labours when every thing else would fail. Vital or nervous en- 

 dowment, mysterious and incapable of physical demonstration as it 

 may be to us, must, therefore, ever be taken into the account of 

 feats of action and endurance : and when large horses possess this 

 fineness of fibre, together with the requisite nervous energy, we 



