OPERATIONS OF DECORATION. 107 



ditional ounces of grain, and there is not the slightest proof 

 that the back becomes stronger. 



Some writers have contended that the tail of the horse, like 

 that of the greyhound or the kangaroo, assists him in turning, 

 in the same way that a helm guides a ship. If this be so, as 

 its action when the horse is running would seem to indicate, 

 cavalry horses and racers, more than others, must lose a great 

 deal of power by docking But whether this be true or not, 

 there can be no doubt about the utility of the tail in keeping 

 off flies, which to some horses give extreme torment. I have 

 heard or read of a troop of cavalry employed, I think in some, 

 part of India, that was quite useless in consequence of the 

 annoyance the docked horses received from a large species 

 of fly. In this country, for two months of the year, thin- 

 skinned horses suffer excessively, and many accidents hap- 

 pen from their struggles or their fears. At grass they are in 

 a constant fever. 



It is surely worth while inquiring, whether all that is 

 gained by docking balances the loss. In comparing the two 

 it ought to be remembered that lockjaw and death are not 

 rare results of the operation. 



Docking is usually performed by the veterinarian, or the 

 shoeing-smith, who keeps instruments for the purpose. In 

 some places it is performed when the colt is only two or 

 three months old. At such an early age, a knife will remove 

 the tail, and the bleeding stops of itself. By docking early 

 there is less risk, and the hair grows more strongly upon the 

 remaining part of the tail than when the operation is delayed 

 to a later period. 



Nicking. — In England and Scotland this operation ap- 

 pears to be fast and justly getting into disrepute. It is still 

 very common in all parts of Ireland. Its object is to make 

 the horse carry his tail well elevated. Two or three deep 

 incisions are made on the lower surface of the tail ; the mus- 

 cles by which it is depressed are divided, and a portion of 

 them excised. The wounds are kept open for several days, 

 and the tail is kept in elevation by means of pulleys and a 

 weight. It is a surgical operation, but no respectable veter- 

 inarian would recommend it. It need not be described here. 

 On the continent, a tail thus mutilated is termed Queue 

 a rAtiglai.se, in compliment, I suppose, to the English. 



There is a safer and more humane method of obtaining the 

 pame object. (See Fig. 8.) If the horse do not carry his 



