44 REVIEW.—ON THE CONFORMATION OF THE HORSE. 
vice, courage, endurance, are all indicated by the size and shape 
of the head, and the expression of countenance, quite, we believe, 
to the extent they are in man; and had our attention been, in the 
one case as in the other, directed to such curious points, we think 
our judgment would have been in either case equivalent. We 
are acquainted with a gentleman on the turf whose judgment in 
horseflesh we believe to be unsurpassed, who will on no occasion 
make purchase of a racer unless his head be such as he approves 
of, holding make and shape subsidiary to this; and his success, 
through a lengthened racing career, has been such as to place 
this opinion upon very high ground. Breed and ancestral cha¬ 
racter must, of course, have their due weight; but in selecting 
untried specimens of the same blood, the greatest respect should 
be paid' to the peculiar conformation of the head. And we can 
only repeat our hope, that the day is not far distant when some 
experienced hand will, through delineation as well as description, 
make the horse-public thoroughly sensible of this. 
In the absence of that expression of countenance and change of 
feature which so strikingly in man pourtrays the passions and 
inclinations, horses and other animals, by the motions of their ears, 
denote their feelings and propensities; and to observant persons 
who spend much of their time in the stable, such telegraphic com¬ 
munications convey on many occasions pretty unmistakeably their 
meaning; though in order to interpret such meaning correctly, 
requires knowledge of the circumstances under which the commu¬ 
nication is made. For example; the presenting forward, or 
“ cocking” of the ears indicates, at one time, ease, contentment, 
good humour; while at another, surprise or fright is shewn by it. 
The laying back of the ears ever excites alarm, or caution, on the 
part of the attendant on the horse; if not a premonitor of vice or 
absolute mischief, it is one of a playful indication which not un- 
frequently ends in mischief. But let us see what Richard has 
observed about the ears, he having devoted no less than half 
a dozen of his pages to the subject. 
“ The study of the movements of the ears, and their attitudes, 
frequently furnishes us with means of estimating the moral cha¬ 
racter of the horse. In general, we should mistrust him who laid 
his ears back at the time we approached him; he then either 
