ANIMALS. 51

ANIMAIS.

ADAPTATION OF THE ENGLISH DRAUGHT HORSE FOR CITY OR TOWN WORK.

The existing cart-horse of England is not an aboriginal breed of that country, but was imported from the neighboring Continent since the Norman conquest. Indeed, there is reason to believe that the horses employed in the army of William the Conqueror were little better than the draught horses of the present day. So long as armor was in fashion, a large massive animal was required to support the enormous weight of the steel-clad knight, and to withstand the pon- derous attack of a similar opponent. The half-bred horse was then unknown, and the Barb and the Spanish horse were insufficient in size; so that recourse was had to the large black horse which had been known throughout the fertile plains of Europe from time imme- morial, and from which, no doubt, the greater portion of the English cart-horses are descended. This race is pretty generally distributed throughout the country, and may be divided, in fact, into three kinds: First, the heavy massive horse, reared in the rich marshes and plains of the midland counties expressly for the London brewers; second, the smaller-sized but still tolerably heavy horse, generally employed for agricultural purposes, a strong, compact animal, but slow in action; and third, a lighter and a more active animal, possess- ing either some admixture of blood of a smaller breed, or being the descendant of the Flanders discarded coach-horse.

The most prevailing color amongst these animals is black, so much so that we recognize a distinct breed under the appellation of the «Old Black Cart-horse;“ but the large dray is by no means confined to those of a black color. There are many of a bay, and still more of a brown color, as well as numerous greys and roans. There are also very many excellent compact cart-horses, of these various colors, better adapted for agricultural purposes; and, indeed, there are those which are generally preferred to the black horse as possessing greater activity and cleaner limbs, combined with equal compactness and strength.

The dray-horse is reared in the greatest perfection in the richest pastures of the fens of Lincolnshire, the largest being seldom less than seventeen hands high, when two and a half years old, at which age, they are usually sold. The purchasers work them moderately until they are four years old, feeding them well during this period. Previous to their re-sale, they are often taken out of work and fat-