THE SENSORIAL FUNCTION; 121 



their office is confounded. Our cut, closely examined, will give at h some idea 

 of the manner in which these distinct fihres are continued ;— each covered by 

 its own membrane, but all enveloped in a common envelope. 



All these nerves are organs of sensation and motion alone ; but there are 

 others whose origin seems to be outside of and below the brain. These are the 

 sympathetic, so called from their union and sympathy with all the others, and 

 identified with life itself. They proceed from a small ganglion or enlargement 

 in the upper part of the neck, or from a collection of little ganglia in the abdomen. 

 They go to the heart, and it beats, and to the stomach, and it digests. They 

 form a net-work round each blood-vessel, and the current flows on. They 

 surround the very minutest vessels, and the frame is nourished and built up. 

 They are destitute of sensation, and they are perfectly beyond the control of 

 the will. 



The reader, we trust, will now comprehend this wonderful, yet simple 

 machinery, and be able, by and by, to refer to it the explanation of several 

 diseases, and particularly of the operation to which we have referred. 



Two of the senses have their residence in the cavity of the cranium— those of 

 hearing and sight. 



They who know anything of the horse pay much attention to the size, setting 

 on, and motion of the ear. Ears rather small than large — placed not too far 

 apart — erect and quick in motion, indicate both breeding and spirit ; and if 

 a horse is frequently in the habit of carrying one ear forward, and the other 

 backward, and especially if he does so on a journey, he will generally possess 

 both spirit and continuance. The stretching of the ears in contrary directions 

 shows that he is attentive to every thing that is taking place around him, and, 

 while he is doing this, he cannot be much fatigued, or likely soon to become so. 

 It has been remarked that few horses sleep without pointing one ear forward 

 and the other backward, in order that they may receive notice of the approach 

 of objects in every direction*. 



The ear of the horse is one of the most beautiful parts about him, and by few 

 things is the temper more surely indicated than by its motion. The ear is 

 more intelligible even than the eye, and a person accustomed to the horse, and 

 an observer of him, can tell by the expressive motion of that organ almost all that 

 he thinks or means. It is a common saying that when a horse lays his ears 

 flat back upon his neck, and keeps them so, he most assuredly is meditating 

 mischief, and the stander by should beware of his heels or his teeth. In play, 

 the ears will be laid back, but not so decidedly, or so long. A quick change 

 in their position, and more particularly the expression of the eye at the time, 

 will distinguish between playfulness and vice. 



The external ear is formed by a cartilage of an oval or cone-like shape, 

 flexible, yet firm, and terminating in a point. It has, directed towards the side, 

 yet somewhat pointing forward, a large opening extending from the top to the 

 bottom. The intention of this is to collect the sound, and convey it to the 

 interior part of the ear. 



The hearing of the horse is remarkably acute. A thousand vibrations of the 

 air, too slight to make any impression on the human ear, are readily perceived 

 by him. It is well-known to every hunting-man, that the cry of the hounds 

 will be recognised by the horse, and his ears will be erect, and he will be all 

 spirit and impatience, a considerable time before the rider is conscious of the 

 least sound. Need anything more be said to expose the absurdity of cropping ? 



* " When horses or mules march in com- terally or across ; the whole troop seeming 



pany at night, those in front direct their ears thus to ho actuated by one feeling, which 



forwards; those in the rear direct them back- watches the general safety." — Arnott's Ele- 



ward ; and those in the centre turn them la- merits of Physic, vol. i. p. 478. 



