tiOR 
tre£t and parallel, and die lower more prominent; 
the canine teeth are fingle, placed at a diftance 
from the reft, and not much longer; and the hoof 
is whole and undivided. According to thefe de- 
finitions, the equus caballus or Horfe, the aft, 
the wild afs, the mulcj and the zebra, are included 
in the fame genus. 
The Horie appears to be the moft beautiful of 
all quadrupeds : the noble extent of his form, 
the glofly fmoothnefs of his fkin, the graceful eafe 
of his motions, his ftrength, and, above all, his 
adivit)^ and utility, render him one of the princi- 
pal obje6ts of human curiofity and care; and teach 
us to regard him as an animal in whofe welfare we 
are effentially interefted. He is the moft gene- 
rous, docile, fpirited, and yet obedient, of all 
creatures; adapted for every purpofe, the chace, 
the draught, and the race ; and produced in almoft 
every part of the world, with as litde variation as 
can well be e:<pe6led. We ftiall therefore give 
one general defcription of this noble quadruped, 
remarking his varieties as we proceed, and ex- 
plaining his multifarious qualities. 
To form an adequate idea of this ftately animal 
in his native fimplicity, we muft not look for him 
in the paftures or the ftables, to which he has been 
configned by man, but in thofe wild and exten- 
five plains where he has been originally produced, 
where he ranges without controul, and riots in all 
the variety of luxurious nature. In this happy ftate 
of independence, he difdains the aftiftance of man, 
which only tends to fervitude. In thofe boundlefs 
trafts where he expatiates at liberty, he feems not 
to be incommoded with the inconveniences to 
which he is obnoxious in Europe. In the happier 
climates of Africa, the verdure of the fields fup- 
plies his wants; and the genial warmth of the fky 
is well adapted to his conftitution, which naturally 
feems formed for heat. His enemies are few; for 
none but the larger kinds of animals will venture 
to attack him, any one of which he is fingly able 
to overcome: but he feeks his fafety in fociety; 
and, in thofe countries, it is not unufual to fee five 
or fix hundred Horfes feeding together. 
As they are naturally mild in their difpofitions, 
they are fatisfied with remaining entirely on the 
defenfive. The paftures fupply them abundantly 
with food; and all their precautions are merely for 
their fecurity, in cafe of a furprifal. Whenever 
they fleep in the forefts, one of their number per- 
forms the office of a centinel, to warn his afibciates 
of approaching danger ; and this commiflion they 
execute by turns. If, while they are feeding by 
day, any man approaches them, their centinel 
boldly advances towards him, as if to examine his 
ftrength, or to intimidate him from proceeding. 
If the "perfon advances within piftol-fhot, the cen- 
tinel alarms his fellows by a loud kind of fnorting ; 
on which fignal they all fly ofi^ with the rapiditv 
of the wind, their faithful centinel always bring- 
ing up the rear. 
Though the Horfe is found in almoft all coun- 
tries, it is evident that the colder climates do not 
agree with his conftitution; for in tliem his form is 
altered, and he is found not only diminutive, but 
ill-ftiaped. We have the teftimony of the ancients, 
that there were wild Horfes once in Europe: at 
prefent, however, they are totally brought under 
ilibjeclion; and even thofe in America are of Spa- 
nifh original, which being fent thither on the firft 
difcovery of the country, have fince become wild, 
and overfpread all the fouth of that vaft continent, 
H O R 
almoft to the Straits of Magellan. Thefe are 
in general a fmall breed, of about fourteen hands 
high: their jaws are thick; their joints are clumfy; 
and their ears and necks are long. They are tamed 
with facility; Horfes being naturally gentle, com- 
plying creatures, and refifting rather from fear than 
obftinacy. They are caught by means of a kind 
of noofes ; and then held faft by their legs, and tied 
to trees, where they are left for the fpace of two 
days without either food or water. By that time 
they begin to grow faintj and confequently become 
manageable; and, in a few weeks, every trace of 
their original wildnefs is loft. If by any accident 
they are once more fet at liberty, they never be- 
come wild again, but know the voices of their ma- 
fters, and obey their calls. 
American Horfes, however, cannot properly be 
ranked among the wild races, being originally bred 
from fuch as were tame. We muft carry our re- 
fearches into the old world for this animal, if de- 
firous of feeing him in a ftate of nature; in the ex- 
tenfive defirts of Africa, in Arabia, and thofe vaft 
countries that feparate the more fouthern nations 
from Tartary. Large droves of thefe animals are 
feen wild among the Tartars: they are of a fmall 
breed, extremely fwift, and difficult to be caught. 
As their focieties are fele£t, they will not admit of 
any ftrange animals among them, though of their 
own kind ; and whenever they perceive a tame Horfe 
attempting to afifociate with them, they inftantly 
gather round him, and oblige him to provide for 
his fafety by flight. To the north of China, there 
are alfo vaft numbers of wild Horfes ; but they are 
of a weak and timid breed, fmall in ftature, and 
deftitute of fpirit. 
About the Cape of Good Hope there are 
confiderable numbers of Horfes in a ftate of na- 
ture; but they are fmall, vicious, and untraftable. 
They are likewife found wild in various other parts 
of Africa; but the wretched inhabitants of that 
country are either ignorant of their ufes, or unac- 
quainted with the necefi"ary arts for taming them. 
It is ufual for the negroes, who are tranfported 
from thence to America, when they firft fee a 
Horfe, to exprefs both terror and furprize. In 
fome parts of Africa, where this creature runs 
wild, the natives feem to confider him rather as a 
dainty for food than a ufeful creature, capable of 
affifting their operations in peace and war; and 
whenever the Angolans or Caffi-arians catch a 
Horfe, it is only with an intent to feaft on his flefli. 
But, of all the wild Horfes in the world, Ara- 
bia produces the moft beautiful breed, the moft 
generous, fwift, and perfevering. Though not 
very numerous, they are neverthelefs found in the 
defarts of that country, and the natives employ 
every ft-ratagem to fecure them. They are ex- 
tremely aftive, but of a fmaller fize than thofe 
which are bred up tame: their colour is brown; 
their manes and tails are very fhort, and the hair 
is black and tufted. No adequate ideas can be 
formed of their fleetnefs ; and the only method of 
catching them is by traps concealed in the fand, 
which entangling their feet, the hunters at length 
come up, and either kill or carry them off alive. 
If the Horfe be young and tender, the Arabians 
confider him as a peculiar delicacy; but if, from 
his ftiape and vigour, he promifes to be ferviceable 
in his more noble capacity, they tame him by fa- 
tigue and hunger, and he foon becomes an ufeful 
domeftic animal. The natives ufually cry the 
fwiftnels of their Horfes by hunting the oftrich, 
5 D they 
