138 
REMARKS ON MR. REEVE’S EXPERIMENTS. 
foot. [See my experiments at the end of this paper.] I am quite 
satisfied that, from the trifling circumstances which might operate 
against a truthful result in Mr. Reeve’s experiment, this gentleman 
has only detailed exactly what he found to take place. Mr. Reeve 
has put the greatest result of any screw at one-sixteenth of an 
inch. 
Page 6 8, paragraph 2. — Mr. Reeve, reasoning on my experi- 
ments, states that one fact is demonstrated from them, namely, 
that, in the case of a horse wearing a shoe “ much sprung at the 
heels, the superincumbent weight is sufficient to bend the fibres 
of the horn.” If Mr. Reeve will look more closely into my expe- 
riments, he will find that I can at once demonstrate the declination 
of the whole foot, as well as the heels, when space is left between 
the shoe and foot at the heels to allow of this motion : therefore 
he will see that I cannot hold such an opinion as that the heels 
descend without the anterior part of the foot also doing so, which 
I consider physically impossible, as there is no joint or fissure in 
the hoof to admit of this action. 
Page 68, paragraph 3. — Mr. Reeve is again arguing on wrong 
premises, as I have explained before, in remarks to paragraphs 
4 and 6, page 64. 
PageG 8, last paragraph, and page 69, paragraph 1 — Mr. Reeve 
here seems to take for granted that the heels have this indepen- 
dent action, and that they can be depressed at pleasure, whilst the 
weight of the animal in progression does not affect them in any 
way ; in fact, that, if a space were left between the heels of a 
horse’s foot and the shoe, in natural action, no approximation 
of the heels of the foot and the shoe would take place ; but imme- 
diately the horse wished to do so, he could dart his heels down. 
This he instances by a horse sliding on his heels. He might have 
mentioned also the peculiar action at the commencement of lami- 
nitis, &c. &c. This independent action, however, completely 
puzzles me. I do think, if Mr. Reeve fairly considers the matter, 
he will come to one of two conclusions ; — either that the heels do 
not descend at all under any circumstances, which [ hardly think 
he is prepared to admit; or that, if they do yield downwards, it 
can only be along with the other parts of the hoof, part and parcel 
of which they are. 
Page 6 9, the woodcut. — I cannot close my remarks on Mr. Reeve’s 
able paper without expressing my pleasure at “ the woodcut.” This 
makes amends for all : one would think it was an illustration be- 
longing to some of my papers, instead of to Mr. Reeve’s. It 
bears a very close resemblance to the principles I have advocated, 
although carried out further than probably I would do, and with 
the addition of a spring at the ground surface, as well as the 
