320 



Animals when 

 immerfed ufe 

 the fame method: 



tut they are 

 feldom caught 

 in quickfands. 



Inflance* 



Another kind of 

 qyickfand;, 



formed by the 

 waters drained 

 through the 

 earth. 



OK aUICKSANDS. 



Cows, dogs, and other animals who frequent downs, and 

 chance to fall into thefe quickfands, either through inftin6t or 

 experience, make ufe of this method to regain their freedom ; 

 provided, however, they be not too deeply immerfed to retain 

 the free ufe of their flioulder joints, otherwife they cannot be 

 extricated without affiftance. I experienced this twice in 

 one day ; my horfe fank to above the breaft-leather, and 

 although he was very flrong, his efforts to extricate himfelf 

 were unavailing, till we had removed fo much of the fand 

 as impeded the aftion of thofe joints. 



It rarely happens that animals accuftomed to live on downs 

 are caught in thefe fnares, which they are aware of, and 

 know how to avoid. 



I attempted, but in vain, to force another horfe with the 

 whip and fpur into a qiiickfand ; his owner, who afted as 

 guide, affured me, that I Qiould not fucceed, although there 

 was no other indication of the fpot than a fiat furface, (lightly 

 wrinkled. By thefe marks the traveller may generally deled 

 the concealed pitfall; but he may always avoid them by 

 tracing the footfieps of the cattle, when vifible, or by walking 

 a few fathoms above the bottom of the declivity, or on the 

 fummit of the down. 



Another kind of quickfand is fometiraes met with on the 

 fea-fl^ore, between high and low water mark, which it is 

 proper fhould be here taken notice of. This is fometimes 

 the efFed of rain, but more commonly of the fea, when forced 

 by wind and tempeft beyond its ufual limits, which being 

 generally more elevated than the dii^ant land, the waters 

 thus impelled forward are prevented from returning to their 

 ancient bed ; they therefore alter forming in a body, drain 

 away through the earth they have inundated, or brought 

 with them, and form excavations beneath, large or fmall, 

 deep or fliallow, according to circumftances. 



I ought not to omit a fingular fa6l which pafled under my 

 own obfervation, and which feems to prove, (as I have 

 already ftated) that animals frequenting thefe plains, and 

 living near the borders of the fea, employ combined means, 

 acquired undoubtedly by experience, lo extricate themfelves 

 from thefe cavities, wherein they rauft inevitably peiidi, did 

 they, as it appears natural they (lioukl, attempt to efcape by 

 repoilipg or by flight. 



2 Traverfing 



