692 
HISTORY OF THE HORSE. 
the thicket^ caught the watchful eye of the savage. The size 
of the brute would render it conspicuous, and its open habits, 
no less than its noble appearance, would mark it for the 
chase. 
In the first age we may assume that the human species 
chiefly fed on flesh, and the primitive horse, we may conjec- 
ture, was regarded only as a luxurious food. All nations that 
have been accustomed to consume flesh of this kind, have 
esteemed it preferable to most others ; and in some great 
feasts no other species of meat is thought worthy of the occa- 
sion. Could we overcome the aversion education has en- 
gendered, it may be reasonably supposed such an addition to 
the table might be acceptable even to ourselves. It is asserted 
that in Paris much horse flesh is regularly manufactured into 
articles of delicacy for the table; and this custom is so notorious, 
that the Chamber once seriously contemplated legalising its 
sale. We have not ourselves ever tasted horse-flesh, and 
though frequently tempted to make that experiment, have 
never yet been able to overcome our repugnance ; but in the 
pursuit of our studies we have repeatedly dissected both the 
horse and the ox. The flesh of the two animals presents a 
perfect contrast. Compared with the flesh of the horse, that 
of the ox is coarse in the extreme, the two presenting all those 
differences that would distinguish the finest cambric from the 
coarsest canvass. The fibre of the horse is delicate, and the 
colours it displays when fresh would defy the pencil to imitate 
their beauty. The fat of the horse also is more transparent 
than that of the ox; and though some authors have erro- 
neously stated that this part of the animal never “ sets 55 or 
becomes hard, it is certainly true that it never assumes that 
opacity and firm consistency which characterises the suet of 
the ox. The muscles of the horse are arranged more sym- 
metrically, and the general aspect of the creature’s frame, 
upon dissection, enforces the idea that the beast is of a supe- 
rior order. Few have dissected the horse without imbibing 
a kind of respect for the brute ; and to such a degree has this 
feeling, in several instances, been indulged, that there are 
many veterinary surgeons who will attend upon no other 
animal. 
The delicacy and beauty of the carcase, however, rather 
disgusts than tempts the appetite, and this circumstance, 
added to the value of the horse, has, perhaps, taught us not 
to feed upon its flesh, which, by such as have tasted it, is 
spoken of as being rather sweet in its flavour, and as eating 
with a peculiar shortness, being easily masticated. 
The flesh of the ass was, by the Romans, held to possess 
