174 



THE TRUNK. 



point out that the extreme lowness of the withers in the 

 Burchell's zebra (Fig. 258), the kiang (Fig. 384), and the 

 onager (Fig. 273), gives the backs of these animals a false 

 appearance of undue length. The angularity of the contour 

 of Mike's croup (Fig. 235) might lead one to form the wrong 

 opinion that he was long in the back and loins, if his 

 withers did not extend so far to the rear as to counteract 

 that impression. 



3. The degree of slope of the shoulder and pelvis. It is 

 evident that the greater the angle formed by the respective 

 directions of the shoulder blade and pelvis produced (the 



Fig. 278— Sections of Loins 



The shaded portion of this figure represents the upper part of a transverse 

 section of the loms, just behind the cantle of the saddle, of a horse with 

 " wedge-shaped ^' loms , the whole figure (namely, the shaded portion and 

 that outside it), that of a horse with fairly flat loms. 



more oblique the shoulder and the more horizontal the croup), 

 the shorter will the back and loins appear to be ; and vice 



versd. 



4. Length of neck. I need hardly say that a long neck 

 (or a ^'long rein/' if we include the withers) will give an air 

 of shortness to the back and loins, and vice versd. 



5. Depth of back ribs. Compare Ormonde or Cloister 

 (Frontispiece) with Fig. 268. 



Without indulging in any tedious repetition, I think we 

 may safely assume that, in all cases, a horse's back and 

 loins should have the appearance of being as short as 

 possible. 



