292 



Handbook of N ature-Study 



2. Study the horse's leg and foot. The horse walks on one toe. 

 Which toe do you think it is ? What do we call the toe-nail of the horse ? 

 What advantage is this sort of a foot to the horse ? Is it best fitted for 

 running on dry plains or for marshy land? Does the hoof grow as our 

 nails do ? Do you know whether there were ever any horses with three 

 toes or four toes on each foot? Make a sketch of the horse's front and 

 hind leg and label those places which correspond to our wrist, elbow, 

 shoulder, hand, heel, knee and hip. 



3. Where are the horse's ears placed on the head? How do they 

 move? Do they flap back and forth like the cow's ears when they are 

 moved, or do they turn as if on a pivot? What do the following different 

 positions of the horse's ears indicate : When lifted and pointing forward ? 

 When thrown back? Can you tell by the action of the ears whether a 

 horse is nervous and high-strung or not? 



4. What is the color of the horse's eyes? The shape of the pupil? 

 What advantage does the position of the eyes on the head give to the wild 

 horse ? Why do we put blinders on a horse ? Can you tell by the expres- 

 sion of the eye the temper of the horse ? 



5. Look at the mouth and nose. Are the nostrils large and flaring? 

 Has the horse a keen sense of smell ? Are the lips thick or thin ? When 

 taking sugar from the hand, does the horse use teeth or lips? 



6. Describe the horse's teeth. How many front teeth ? How many 

 back teeth? Describe the bar where the bit is placed. Are there any 



UO Al-TO IN 1892. 



"Palo Alto", a famous running horse. 



