till the horse has attained six years, and when he is ten
they begin to grow loose, and expose their roots. They have six grinders
in each side of each jaw, with flat crowns, and the plates of enamel
which surround the dental substance, appear in them like four crescents.
The life of horses generally lasts about thirty years; but they have
frequently been known to exceed that age. Then, however, mastication has
become difficult, they get lean, or what is called out of condition; and
old favorites, if they are attended to as they ought to be, after long
and faithful services, have their food bruised, and even cooked for
them. It is surprising to see what entire rest frequently does for them,
even at an advanced age; and I have seen them, in consequence of it,
again taken into a degree of service when they have been supposed past
all work.

The origin of horses is involved in so much obscurity, that it has given
rise to frequent speculation; not as in the dog, with regard to the type
of the race, but the quarter of the globe where they were first located.
It appears to me, that the greatest mass of opinion is in favour of
Tartary, or Central Asia, where it is supposed that the only existing
wild race now lives, all the rest in a state of freedom, being feral, or
descended from domesticated pairs, which have again become wild. Some of
these are also on the steppes of Tartary; but immense numbers inhabit
the extensive plains of South America, which are supposed to be the
descendants of the Spanish horses, and to have escaped from the
conquerors of that continent. Large herds also run about in various
parts of North America and Africa; and smaller numbers in England, where
they have dwindled to ponies. Mr. Bell, whose authority few would dare
to dispute, thinks that the Egyptians were the first people who brought
the horse into subjection, and that Africa contained the original race;
but the ancient mysteries of the East are only now beginning to be
opened to us; and, I suspect, we shall find that the Egyptians derived
their horses, as well as everything else, from the still older Asiatics.

It would be in vain to attempt, in a work of this kind, to describe the
different species and varieties of horses; I shall, therefore, quickly
pass on to a small selection from the numerous anecdotes placed before
me, a few of which are the results of personal experience. Before I do
this, however, it may be as well to make a few observ