BREAST, 169 



subject. We have never been able to ascertain, with respect 

 to this point, any practical difference among animals of the 

 same height, whatever might have been their width of 

 breast ; for the simple reason that it is not in its front part 

 that the chest varies much, but rather in its middle and back 

 portions. To what cause, then, other than bulging out of 

 the anterior ribs, is width between the fore legs due ? We 

 must attribute it to the greater or less thickness of the 

 pectoral muscles which form its base. We may see the 

 truth of this from the fact that this part may become narrow 

 in animals which have large chests. It is merely necessary 

 to place them under bad sanitary conditions as regards work 

 and feeding, to convince one that their state of emaciation 

 brings on the loss of width of which we speak" {Goubaux 

 and Barrier). If we take the trouble to compare the width 

 between the fore legs of badly-shaped cart-horses which 

 happen to be ''flat-sided'' and wanting in girth, with that of 

 thoroughbreds having large capacity of chest, we shall note 

 that the width in question bears no relation to the size of 

 chest. Again, it is no rare occurrence to see horses that 

 have been once broad-chested, become narrow in front when 

 they are old and worn out The pectoral muscles, to which 

 the eminent French professors alluded in the foregoing 

 extract, lie between the humerus and chest As there is 

 considerable lateral play between the elbows and chest of the 

 horse; the width between the fore legs varies a good deal 

 when the animal is standing, according as the fore feet are 

 close together or wide apart. The fact that horses which are 

 broad between the fore legs are very rarely good stayers at a 

 gallop, has been used as an argument that roundness of rib is 

 inconsistent with good breathing power. We may, however, 

 I venture to think, account for it more correctly by saying 

 that the failure in ''staying" is owing to the undue weight of 

 the fore hand consequent on the large muscular development 

 of the part, and to the tendency to lateral displacement of 

 the centre of gravity (p. 53). I must here explain that those 

 muscles the large development of which gives increased width 



