THE HORSE. 69 



have developed the swiftness and staying power 

 which they undoubtedly possessed before they 

 became captives, and which they have trans- 

 mitted to their descendants. 



The wolves and the wild horses were con- 

 stantly at war ; and, moreover, the wolf was the 

 only predatory beast existing in ancient times 

 which was able to pursue the horses and hunt 

 them down on the open steppe. The speed and 

 staying power of the horse were undoubtedly 

 developed in the first place to enable him to 

 escape from these gaunt persistent foes. Un- 

 intentionally the wolves acted as agents for im- 

 proving the quality of the stock. The swift and 

 the strong escaped them ; the sluggish and the 

 weak were devoured : and hence the special 

 attributes which we value in a horse were 

 enhanced from generation to generation. So 

 certain does this appear to me, that I never see 

 a wolf in a menagerie without feeling inclined 

 to thank him for many an exhilarating gallop 

 on horseback. If his bloodthirsty forefathers had 

 never existed there would have been little to 

 choose between the pace of a horse and that of 

 a donkey. 



It must be borne in mind that such influences 



