264 ON COLOUR. 



desired to buy a well-bred little horse of 

 142, which must be a chestnut, to match 

 another, and enlisted my assistance in his 

 choice. As I had never seen the other, it 

 wasn't a very easy task ; nor is selecting a 

 horse for another person an office I at any 

 time desire. There were lots of chestnuts 

 in the show, as there ahvays are wherever 

 a number of well-bred ones are gathered 

 together ; but my friend, it appeared, ob- 

 jected to white, and quoted antediluvian 

 maxims, I believe in verse, as to what was 

 to be expected of horses with one, two, 

 three, or iowr white stockings. I tried to 

 reason with him for his own good ; but it 

 was of no use, and finally, I think, he 

 went home without buying, though there 

 were some useful animals there. The bays, 

 which were naturally freer from white, he 

 would not look at, being persuaded that a 

 pair of horses must necessarily be of the 

 same colour, though I essayed to convince 



