REVIEW— BREEDS OF DOMESTIC ANIMALS. 
173 
course of being painted, he was languid from the cold of the 
weather. It was wished to rouse him for a little, and the idea 
occurred of trying the effect of some tones of simple music. The 
sounds no sooner struck his ear than his whole frame was agitated. 
His heart throbbed so violently that its beating could be seen, and 
so great was his excitement that it was necessary instantly to stop 
the music. Some chord of feeling it seems had been struck. Per- 
chance he was reminded of his desert home, and of the friends 
from whom he had been so rudely severed.” 
The horses of the different countries from the eastern extremity 
of Asia to Great Britain pass in review, and fair justice is done 
to each. 
As an illustration of the race-horse, a portrait is given of Vestris, 
the property of the late Mr. Hutchins. An account of the art of 
racing, or the rules and conditions of the course, is next presented. 
The biographical memoirs of the principal jockeys will be read 
with interest, but with interest of a different kind, the account of the 
manner in which the books of too many of the sportsmen are made 
up, and the infamous rogueries that are practised. We cannot, 
however, believe that they are quite so bad as Mr. Low describes 
them to be. It surely cannot be true that “ a horse with the best 
blood of England in his veins, and the best jockey on his back, 
shall have no more chance to win when backed heavily to lose 
than a jackass.” Nor can the opinion “ of a rider and an owner 
of race-horses be true, that if Eclipse was again in the field, and 
backed to lose by certain influential bettors, he would have no more 
chance to win than if he had the use of only three of his legs.” If 
things are come to this pass, the sooner every honourable man 
retires from the turf the better. 
We heartily coincide in opinion with the author, when he de- 
precates the early use of the race-horse — “ the stealing a miserable 
year or two from the youth of the growing horse, that he may 
sooner bring to his owner an unworthy gain.” This scandal should 
be proscribed on the English turf. 
The author next adverts to hunting, and gives a portrait of the 
old Irish hunter. We have not room to follow him here ; but we 
unite with him in his dislike of the excessive and cruel speed of 
the modern chase, and the inhuman abomination of the steeple- 
chase. 
A description of the Connamara horse closes this number. He 
inhabits the Connamara district of the county of Galway. Tradition 
gives to this horse a Spanish descent, as some of the ships of the 
Spanish Armada were wrecked on this coast in 1588. They are suf- 
fered to run wild amidst of the limestone rocks of this coast until 
VOL. XIV. Z 
