The Sagacity of Horses in Time of Danger,

THE horse in this country is not a political animal; but in the deserts of Tartary and Siberia he is political, for being there hunted by the Tartars, as hares and deer are in this country, they, for self-preservation, form themselves into a kind of community, and take joint measures for saving themselves, which they commonly do by flight, and that they may not be surprised by the enemy, they set watches, and have commanders who direct and hasten their flight.

Monboddo on Language,

On the Beauty of the Horse's Ear.

THE ear of the horse receives its greatest beauty from motion. The ear of no animal has that vibrating power. The ears of a spirited horse are continually in motion; quivering, and darting their sharp points towards every object that presents; and the object is still more beautiful when the ears are so well set on, that the points are drawn nearly together. But it is not only the quivering motion of the horse's ears that we admire; we admire them also as the interpreters of his passions; particularly of fear, which some denominate courage; and of anger or malice.

The former he

expresses by darting them forward; the latter by laying them back.

How cruel then is it, to mutilate those beautiful creatures in the shocking manner we so frequently behold. Man's Conduct to Animals.

Sublime Description of the Horse, from the Book of Job, Chap. 39, v. 19, GOD, speaking to Job, asks him, "Hast thou given the horse strength? Hast thou clothed his neck with thunder? Canst thou make him afraid as a grasshopper? The glory of his nostrils is terrible. He paweth in the valley, and rejoiceth in his strength: he goeth on to meet the armed men. He mocketh at fear, and is not affrighted; neither turneth he back from the sword. The quiver resteth against him, the glittering spear and the shield. He swallow

eth the ground with fierceness and rage; neither believeth he that it is the sound of the trumpet. He saith amongst the trumpets, ha, ha; and he smelleth the battle afar off, the thunder of the captains, and the shouting."

Imitation of the foregoing, in verse.

How firm the manag'd war horse keeps his ground,
Nor breaks his order, tho' the trumpets sound;
With fearless eye the glittering host surveys,
And glares directly at the helmets blaze:
The master's word, the laws of war he knows,
And when to stop, and when to charge the foes.
Oppian.

THE impatient courser pants in ev'ry vein,
And pawing, seems to beat the distant plain;
Hills, vales, and floods, appear already crost,
And ere he starts, a thousand steps are lost.

Pope's Windsor Forest.

So when the ring with joyful shouts rebounds, With rage and pride the imprison'd courser bounds: He frets, he foams, he rends his idle rein,

Springs o'er the fence, and headlong seeks the plain. Lucan.

On the Cruelty of Horse-racing. HORSE-RACING has been promoted by royal encouragement, and is followed by the nobles of the land, and by professional sharpers, for the purpose of obtaining money according to a code of laws, which honesty has no concern with, called the laws of honour! This sport is as little connected with humanity as with honesty. The horse is a most useful, willing, noble animal, so tractable, that no person, under the influence of reason, can ever think of misusing a creature distinguished by