94 WILD TRAITS IN TAME ANIMALS. 



which I shot in Patagonia deeply scored. So do 

 camels ; and both these animals when savage draw 

 their ears closely backwards. Guanacoes, as I have 

 noticed, when not intending to bite but merely to 

 spit their offensive saliva from a distance on an in- 

 truder, retract their ears. Even the hippopotamus, 

 when threatening with its widely-open enormous mouth 

 a comrade, draws back its small ears just like a horse. 

 Now what a contrast is presented between the fore- 

 going animals and cattle, sheep, or goats, which never 

 use their teeth in fighting, and never draw back their 

 ears when enraged.^ 



The great difference between the various 

 breeds of horses has been largely brought about 

 by human agency, but not entirely so. We 

 find that in mountainous regions the native 

 horses are always small and stout, with coats 

 inclined to be shaggy. All modern ponies are 

 descended from those herds which chose the 

 hills for their habitat. I shall have something 

 to say in later chapters about the effect of 

 mountain - ranges in developing certain useful 

 qualities of our domestic animals. Not long 

 ago I saw some Hungarian mountain-ponies in 

 London, and mistook them for large Shetlanders. 

 The likeness is certainly very great, and strongly 



1 'Expression of the Emotions,' p. iiS. 



