HORSE. 
331 
The anecdote books contain several stories very much 
alike concerning horses spontaneously visiting blacksmiths’ 
shops when they require shoeing, or feel their shoes un- 
comfortable. The appended account, vouched for as it is 
by a good authority, may be taken as corroborative of these 
stories. I quote the account from 6 Nature ’ (May 19, 
1881):— 
The following instance of animal intelligence is sent to us 
by Dr. John Pae, F.R.S., who states that the Mr. William 
Sinclair mentioned is respectable and trustworthy. The anec- 
dote is taken from the ‘ Orkney Herald ’ of May 11 : “ A well- 
authenticated and extraordinary case of the sagacity of the 
Shetland pony has just come under our notice. A year or two 
ago Mr. William Sinclair, pupil- teacher, Holm, imported one 
of these little animals from Shetland on which to ride to and 
from school, his residence being at a considerable distance from 
the school buildings. TJp to that time the animal had been 
unshod, but some time afterwards Mr. Sinclair had it shod by 
Mr. Pratt, the parish blacksmith. The other day Mr. Pratt, 
whose smithy is a long distance from Mr. Sinclair’s house, saw 
the pony, without halter or anything upon it, walking up to 
where he was working. Thinking the animal had strayed from 
home, he drove it off, throwing stones after the beast to make 
it run homewards. This had the desired effect for a short 
time ; but Mr. Pratt had only got fairly at work once more 
in the smithy when the pony’s head again made its appearance 
at the door. On proceeding a second time outside to drive the 
pony away, Mr. Pratt, with a blacksmith’s instinct, took a look 
at the pony’s feet, when he observed that one of its shoes had 
been lost. Having made a shoe he put it on, and then waited 
to see what the animal would do. For a moment it looked at 
the blacksmith as if asking whether he was done, then pawed 
once or twice to see if the newly-shod foot was comfortable, and 
finally gave a pleased neigh, erected its head, and started home- 
wards at a brisk trot. The owner was also exceedingly sur- 
prised to find the animal at home completely shod the same 
evening, and it was only on calling at the smithy some days 
afterwards that he learned the full extent of his pony’s sagacity. 
In ‘ Nature,’ also (vol. xx., p. 21), Prof. Claypole, of 
Antioch Cottage, Ohio, writes as follows : — 
A friend of mine is employed on a farm near Toronto, 
Ontario, where a horse, belonging to the wife of the farmer, is 
