Why the Majority of Men are Eight-Handed 413 



to all of whom the writer's indebtedness is here ack- 

 nowledged and thanks returned, as well as to Dr. Higgins, 

 Bacteriologist to the Veterinary Department at Ottawa. 



The numbers obtained from this list, although only 

 just 3,000 horses, are a sufficient average to call for 

 further attention. These numbers were obtained by 

 direct application to the different veterinary officers in 

 charge, and their personal examination and answers. It 

 is a pity more answers were not forth-coming. A similar 

 application to the forces in England and to the Royal 

 College of Veterinary Surgeons received for answers, no 

 records of the kind were obtainable. It may be asked 

 what has this observation to do with right and left- 

 handedness in man ; to those who would ask, the answer 

 is, that as man gets older and the vital forces are lessened, 

 the man becomes gray haired, and if his life be continued 

 he at last becomes quite white and the powers of life 

 have become much weaker. 



This is apparently the case, not only in animal, but 

 in vegetable life. The fact that absence of pigment in 

 life where pigment usually is seen is evidence of weakness. 



There is a common saying about white-footed horses : 



One white leg buy him, 



Two white legs try him, 



Three white legs deny him, 



Four white legs, throw him to the dogs. 



As the hind-legs are those most commonly white the 

 weakness is more observable in the fore-legs than in the 

 hind and the remarks made by the different veterinarians 

 go to show that a tendency to navicular disease is common 

 in the white fore-legged horses — that the white-legged 

 horses are generally washy — that the roan-coloured 

 horses and the buff are constitutionally the strongest, 

 with brown next. 



Report comes this spring from the west communicated 

 by Dr. McEachran, from which the following is quoted: 



