122 
EDITORIAL OBSERVATIONS. 
order; but I believe that a great deal of misapprehension 
exists, which has often been the cause of imparting to stal- 
lions the character of their being roarers when such was not 
the case. The common test for roaring, and which is so 
generally in use amongst dealers, is to produce a forcible 
inspiration by giving the animal a sudden blow or kick on 
the ribs, and which, in the case of a roarer, elicits from him 
an unmistakeable grunt. However, this criterion is not always 
to be relied upon ; for although I never knew a roarer who did 
not grunt, I have known horses make a similar noise upon 
being struck, that were not roarers. The fact that a very 
corpulent animal cannot be subjected to anything like sudden 
exertion without a forcible effect of respiration, may in some 
measure account for many of our covering-stallions having 
acquired the imputation of being roarers. That Taurus was 
a roarer in his early racing career must be admitted, but his 
roaring, as he advanced in life, was scarcely audible, and his 
performance in his last race over the Beacon Course, with 
Camarine, was sufficient indication of his respiratory powers 
being unimpaired. One of your correspondents alludes to 
the sire by West Australian as a roarer, I should refer him 
to Melbourne’s race in the Chester Cup, when it was won by 
the Dey of Algiers for a contradiction to the imputation. 
His fame, however, is far too exalted to be affected by r any 
remark of the kind. Were roaring a specific malady arising 
in all cases from the same cause, we should not have been led 
away from that consideration which alone can be of any 
service : I allude to the investigation of that cause which 
produces the roarer of every-day occurrence ; I say this, for 
on reference to our most celebrated authors, I find them one 
and all rather inclined to seek out every unusual and occa- 
sional cause rather than pursue the inquiry so much required 
as to the prevailing cause. My experience does not lead me 
to observe that roaring is more prevalent now than formerly; 
indeed, I believe that the disuse of the bearing-rein, which was 
so fashionable w T ith all our tip-top coachmen in olden days, 
has done much towards its alleviation. That we have more 
race-horses roarers may be true, but then it must be taken 
into consideration that we have double the number of horses 
racing now than formerly ; and this may not be an inoppor- 
tune moment to advert to the number of races run last year 
by young horses, and which alone must be destructive to the 
best of constitutions. The «£lO Triennials and the rail- 
roads now afford an abuse formerly unknown, — that of start- 
ing three-years-old no less than nineteen times, and two- 
years-old no less than fifteen ! vide the ‘ Guide 5 of the last 
