236 ESSENTIALS OF VETERINARY LAW 
pay for its pasturage and barn feed, or does the 
parent also give these items until such time as he 
shall give formal notice of the withdrawal of such 
privileges? ; 
Sometimes an animal is turned over to a friend 
to be kept and used as his own, subject to future 
taking back. Such an animal may acquire a repu- 
tation in the community as the property of the 
friend. Possibly the friend may honestly under- 
stand that the animal was a gift, whereas the 
donor only intended to confer the use of the ani- 
mal. Perhaps the animal loaned might be a valu- 
able mare, temporarily out of commission for the 
owner’s use, and in the time she was in the care 
of the friend she gave birth to a valuable colt. The 
ownership of that colt might be much more valu- 
able than that of the dam, and when the question 
is raised neither could tell surely the terms under 
which the friend took the mare; and the memory 
of the two persons interested might differ. To pre- 
vent possible misunderstandings and possible un- 
necessary expense of litigation, the gift of an ani- 
mal to another should always be accompanied by 
a statement in writing; and the acceptance of an 
animal in trust for more than a temporary period 
should be marked by a receipt given by the bailee, 
and telling the terms under which it is accepted. 
(See Chapter X.) 
191. Estrays. The finder of property has an 
ownership right in the thing found as against 
every one but the lawful owner. Since cattle and 
other animals are liable to escape and become lost, 
it is customary for the different state legislatures 
to prescribe how such property shall be returned 
