THE HORSE. 79 



injurious to the animal frame. The reason why 

 a pneumatic-tired sullcy is worth several seconds 

 in the mile to an American trotter is not so 

 much because it is of light draught, as because 

 practically no vibration is conveyed along the 

 shafts and traces to the horse's body. Ever 

 so little vibration will weary his muscles and 

 hamper his movements to a certain extent. 



A- further proof that the horse's ancestors lived 

 on open plains where vegetation was sparse is 

 found in the arrangement of his teeth and in 

 his method of grazing. Unlike the cow, the 

 horse has chisel -like incisor teeth in both jaws. 

 This enables him to bite very closely ; in fact, 

 a horse will thrive in a field where cattle are 

 starving. If you watch a cow grazing you will 

 find that she puts out her tongue and gathers the 

 grass into a bunch, which she nips off by means 

 of her sharp lower teeth pressing against the" 

 elastic pad in the upper jaw. The very fact that 

 she always makes this gathering movement with 

 her tongue when feedinsf shows she takes the 

 leneth of the orrass for g-ranted, because she in- 

 variably acts as if there were sufficient herbage 

 for the tonojue to sfet tog-ether into a bunch before 

 making an effort to bite or nip it off. Not so the 



