twelve to eighteen inches in
height.

The gray and fox squirrels often do mischief in the cornfields, and the
hunting of them makes fine sport for the boys.

_Common rabbits_ exist in every thicket, and annoy nurseries and young
orchards exceedingly. The fence around a nursery must always be so close
as to shut out rabbits; and young apple trees must be secured, at the
approach of winter, by tying straw or corn stalks around their bodies,
for two or three feet in height, or the bark will be stripped off by
these mischievous animals.

_Wild horses_ are found ranging the prairies and forests in some parts
of the State. They are small in size, of the Indian or Canadian breed,
and very hardy. They are found chiefly in the lower end of the American
Bottom, near the junction of the Kaskaskia and Mississippi rivers,
called _the Point_. They are the offspring of the horses brought there
by the first settlers, and which were suffered to run at large. The
Indians of the West have many such horses, which are commonly called
Indian ponies.

_Domestic Animals._ These are the same as are found in other portions of
the United States. But little has been done to improve the breed of
horses amongst us. Our common riding or working horses average about
fifteen hands in height. Horses are much more used here than in the
Eastern States, and many a farmer keeps half a dozen or more. Much of
the travelling throughout the Western country, both by men and women, is
performed on horseback; and a large proportion of the land carriage is
by means of large wagons, with from four to six stout horses for a team.
A great proportion of the ploughing is performed by horse labor. Horses
are more subject to diseases in this country than in the old States,
which is thought to be occasioned by bad management, rather than by the
climate. A good farm horse can be purchased for fifty dollars. Riding or
carriage horses, of a superior quality, cost about seventy-five or
eighty dollars. Breeding mares are profitable stock for every farmer to
keep, as their annual expense in keeping is but trifling: their labor is
always needed, and their colts, when grown, find a ready market. Some
farmers keep a stallion, and eight or ten brood mares.

_Mules_ are brought into Missouri, and find their way to Illinois, from
the Mexican dominions. They are a hardy animal, grow to a good size,
and are used by some, both for labor and riding.

Our _neat cattle_ are usually