BLEEDING 63 



the vein, never crossways, gently fixing it without 

 penetrating the skin. Having blindfolded him, do 

 not shut your eyes and jerk the fleam when you strike, 

 like a boy pulling the trigger of a gun, or you have 

 no more chance of hitting the vein than he has the 

 bird ; but, keeping your eyes fixed on the fleam, give it a 

 sharp but not a severe knock with a blood-stick or 

 tent-peg. 



Some people cannot> bleed, which is unfortunate in 

 case of inflammation. Perhaps you may be more 

 successful with a lancet. Having first tied a piece of 

 cloth round the bottom, or holding it tight between 

 your forefinger and thumb, that it may not go in deep- 

 er than the fleam would, insert the point gently into 

 the vein, and ram it in a little upwards, so as to make 

 an orifice full half an inch in length. 



The beauty, and the great effect, of bleeding a 

 horse in the neck vein, particularly under inflamma- 

 tion, consists in taking a large quantity of blood in a 

 short time ; therefore both veins in these cases should 

 be opened at once, and the larger orifice the fleam 

 makes the better. No fleams from Mr. Long, or any 

 good maker, are made too broad-shouldered ; if made 

 too deep, the artery underneath may be penetrated, 

 and the borse lost. Having got the quantity of blood 

 you want, do not let the flow stop quite suddenly, or 

 air may get into the vein and half kill him ; but loosen 

 the cord, if one has been on, gradually ; then close the 

 wound immediately, and that without pulling the skin 

 from the neck, by which blood is apt to get under- 

 neath and cause a bad swelling ; pin the two edges 

 together, taking care not to include any of the hair 

 between the lips of the wound, with the smallest pos- 

 sible pin, or needle, which is better, not an inch and 



