1 98 THE TRUNK. 



that this part may become narrow in animals which have 

 large chests. It is merely necessary to place them under bad 

 sanitary conditions as regards work and feeding, to convince 

 one that their state of emaciation brings on the loss of width 

 of which we speak" [Goiibaiix and Barrier). If we take 

 the trouble to compare the width between the fore legs of 

 badly-shaped cart-horses which happen to be *' flat-sided " and 

 wanting in girth, with that of thoroughbreds having large 

 capacity of chest, we shall note that the width in question 

 bears no relation to the size of chest. Again, it is no rare 

 occurrence to see horses that have been once broad-chested, 

 become narrow in front when they are old and worn out. 

 The pectoral muscles, to which the eminent French professors 

 alluded in the foregoing extract, lie between the humerus and 

 chest. The fact that horses which are broad between the 

 fore legs are very rarely good stayers at a gallop, has been 

 used as an argument that roundness of rib is inconsistent with 

 good breathing power. We may, however, I venture to think, 

 account for it more correctly by saying that the failure in 

 "staying" is owing to the undue weight of the forehand 

 consequent on the large muscular development of the part, 

 and to the tendency to lateral displacement of the centre of 

 gravity i^scc p. 65). I may add that we rarely see a horse 

 wide in front which is not at the same time thick in the withers, 

 a condition which is also caused by the largeness of the 

 muscles that lie between the chest and the fore limb, as well as 

 by the thickness of the bones themselves. When a horse is 

 narrow between the fore legs by reason of the emaciated con- 

 dition of his pectoral muscles, " the keel of his breast bone 

 becomes prominent, the points of the shoulder are pushed 

 forward to the front, and allow to be seen, between them and 



