234 NEW ZEALAND NATURE-STUDY BOOK 
and the Cat. Under the toe-bone and within the hoof is a 
soft cushion, and at the bottom of the hoof a tough out- 
growth, “the frog.” These elastic pads are extremely 
useful in lessening the shock of movement, so much so that, 
should the frog be cut away too freely, the bones and 
sinews of the limbs are apt to be injured by constant 
jarring. When the Horse is being shod, care should be 
taken that the nails are driven into the hard hoof and 
not into the enclosed sensitive tissue. 
The nostrils are wide and: fleshy, much wider and 
more distended than those of the Cat or the Rabbit. 
Ananimal, when taking violent exercise, requires a plentiful 
supply of oxygen, which in most cases can be inhaled 
through both mouth and nostrils. The Horse is unable 
to breath through its mouth, and as it is constantly 
moving with rapidity, and hence is in need of plenty of 
oxygen, it requires wide distensible nostrils. It will be 
seen from this how a vicious or struggling horse is 
sometimes subdued by being held by the nostrils. The 
animal is unable to breathe, and in a short time is 
forced to remain quiet. 
The chest is large and deep so as to afford plenty of 
room for the large lungs. The Horse is a running 
animal and requires a capacious breathing apparatus in 
order to contain the large quantities of oxygen needed. 
The food of the Horse is entirely vegetable, for, when 
allowed to feed at pleasure, it is essentially a grazing 
animal. Such animals have large stomachs and long in- 
testines, for vegetable food does not as a rule contain so 
much nourishment as flesh, and is not so easily digested. 
This means that in order to obtain a sufficient supply of 
nourishment large quantities must be taken ; hence the 
necessity of a large stomach and long intestine with a big 
bulky body to contain them. 
