206 



CHARLES DARWIN 



During our whole ride we saw only one troop of wild 

 horses. These animals, as well as the cattle, were introduced 

 by the French in 1764, since which time both have greatly 

 increased. It is a curious fact, that the horses have never 

 left the eastern end of the island, although there is no natu- 

 ral boundary to prevent them from roaming, and that part 

 of the island is not more tempting than the rest. The Gau- 

 chos whom I asked, though asserting this to be the case, 

 were unable to account for it, except from the strong attach- 

 ment which horses have to any locality to which they are 

 accustomed. Considering that the island does not appear 

 fully stocked, and that there are no beasts of prey, I was 

 particularly curious to know what has checked their origi- 

 nally rapid increase. That in a limited island some check 

 would sooner or later supervene, is inevitable; but why has 

 the increase of the horse been checked sooner than that of 

 the cattle? Capt. Sulivan has taken much pains for me 

 in this inquiry. The Gauchos employed here attribute it 

 chiefly to the stallions constantly roaming from place to 

 place, and compelling the mares to accompany them, whether 

 Or not the young foals are able to follow. One Gaucho told 

 Capt. Sulivan that he had watched a stallion for a whole 

 hour, violently kicking and biting a mare till he forced 

 her to leave her foal to its fate. Capt. Sulivan can so far 

 corroborate this curious account, that he has several times 

 found young foals dead, whereas he has never found a dead 

 calf. Moreover, the dead bodies of full-grOwn horses are 

 more frequently found, as if more subject to disease or 

 accidents, than those of the cattle. From the softness of 

 the ground their hoofs often grow irregularly to a great 

 length, and this causes lameness. The predominant colours 

 are roan and iron-grey. All the horses bred here, both tame 

 and wild, are rather small-sized, though generally in good 

 condition; and they have lost so much strength, that they 

 are unfit to be used in taking wild cattle with the lazo: in 

 Consequence, it is necessary to go to the great expense of 

 importing fresh horses from the Plata. At some future 

 period the southern hemisphere probably will have its breed 

 of Falkland ponies, as the northern has its Shetland breed. 



The cattle, instead of having degenerated like the horse, 



