62 EXAMINATION OF HORSES 
large area of the anvil bottom whereon to diffuse them- 
selves, and are of considerable length. The weight, 
moreover, is momentary, and is not confined to the face 
of the anvil, but diffused through most of the body of 
the anvil. The rays are so faint when spread over this 
large area that they scarcely alter the inertia of the anvil, 
and are therefore barely felt by the bearer, who rises, 
supposed to have survived a crushing blow. Had the 
anvil been one-tenth the size the rays would have been 
in focus, or nearly so; there would have been one-tenth’ 
the inertia to overcome; and the earthly career of our. 
friend would have been cut short. Distance, then, is, 
as we have endeavoured to show, an important factor in 
radiation and in concentration. Without proper distance 
there can neither be radiation nor concentration ; so that 
if the coffin joint be our focus of centre of weight, and 
we wish the weight to be diffused over the base of the 
whole foot, it is of the very first importance that this 
joint be we// above the surface of the foot. 
Again, referring you to our two arches, you will notice 
that in addition to their cutting each other at right 
angles, and having the same centre of weight, the weight 
is placed in the middle of the transverse arch, but further 
forward in the arch, which is formed from before back- 
wards, so that we may represent this diagramatically by 
a cross (see Fig. 4). 
This cross also represents the direction of shortest rays; 
therefore at all points between ‘these lines there are 
longer rays. It will further occur to you that the rays 
