The Horse 271 



away. It was not often she had the home 

 paddock all to herself, but whenever she did, 

 she went over the fence and off for a good gos- 

 sip with old man Shack's flea-bitten gray 

 beast. The gray was disreputable in looks as 

 his owner — still he had had wide experience 

 — he had been with the old man throughout his 

 last four moves, so no doubt knew many very 

 entertaining things to tell. 



Horses have very sensitive palates. If ac- 

 customed to soft water, as of a pond or cistern, 

 they will cross running limestone water with- 

 out touching it, even when very thirsty. In 

 grazing they also discriminate, always choos- 

 ing the short, soft grass of the hillsides rather 

 than the lush growth of the swales and bottoms. 

 They love sweet things, and very bitter ones. 

 When they break into an orchard, they will 

 feed upon ripe fruit, though green may be 

 much plentier, and take sweet apples before 

 sour ones, even riper and mellower. They 

 dearly love the bark upon peach-boughs in the 

 second year of growth, also the bark upon 

 poplar poles, and the fibrous inner bark of red 

 oak. Apple bark they will strip off in big 

 mouthfuls with their sharp cutting teeth, but 

 spit out as soon as they begin fairly to taste it. 

 They browse fairly well, but care little for any 

 wooded forage after the budded stage. At 

 work they will nip' almost any green thing 



