air, and not in the stable. When the animals are regularly looked to, the curry-comb need not be so immoderately used as some will constantly do. A brush will be much more effective.

Hand-rubbing at times, especially the legs of a tired horse, is very beneficial, and will often prevent di

sease.

Neatness is always requisite in stables, and in that case the appearance is more healthy and comfortable. Every article should be hung or laid in its proper place, and no pails should be left standing about the stalls.

Water should never stand in the stables before the horse drinks it; if the chill is to be taken off, the addition of a little hot water is preferable, and quite as easily done.

THE VARIOUS COLOURS OF HORSES.

MR. Gibson, as well as many horsemen of the present day, entertained an opinion that not only was much of the beauty of the animal linked with his being of a good colour and well marked, but that certain colours or marks denoted his good or bad qualities. An old adage asserts that "a good horse cannot be of a bad colour," and a little reflection will soon convince us of this, for daily observation will prove that frequently the most handsome and sightly horses are affected with vices, while such as are badly marked, or have no particular colour, have qualities which make the owner unwilling to dispose of him. Mr. Gibson's opinion on this subject is as follows:

"The Bays have their name from the semblance their colour bears to that of a dried bay-leaf. These horses generally have the tail and mane black, with a dark streak down the back. The shade, however, varies considerably. Dark bays have also their knees and pasterns black; while others have the whole of the lower portion of the legs this dark colour. Some light bays incline to a brown, and are more or less dappled.

"The Chesnut.-Of this colour there are many good horses, and their appearance is generally extremely beautiful, especially what is termed the true chesnut, which admits of no variety of shade, and this happens when the coat is compounded of three tints—the root of the hair is light, the centre dark, and the extremity of a pale brown. There are, however, degrees lighter or darker: such horses as have white or party-coloured legs are not so handsome as those of the one colour. The beautiful chesnut-tint approaching to the fallowcolour looks remarkably well.

"The Sorrel differs in this from the chesnut, that the colours are so intermixed, and a reddish tint often predominates, having the appearance of a fox-colour. Such horses are often bald over the face, and the tail and mane is of a sandy hue. It is generally believed that those horses which have much white about their limbs are faulty in the feet and tender in constitution; hence the chesnut is preferable in most instances, whether for beauty or goodness.

"The Brown is thought inferior in beauty to the bay or chesnut. The shades of this colour are various; the manes and tails of such horses are generally black, as also their joints. Brown horses grow gradually lighter towards the belly and flanks; and many are light and mealy about the muzzle. The stout and

serviceable horses used for draught are very often of this colour.

"The Black horses of a jet and shining black, with little or no white, are very handsome. Too much white greatly detracts from their beauty. English horses have much more white than the black horses of any other country. The marks of these horses vary considerably; those which are composed of brown are esteemed constitutionally strong. Mr. Gibson con

sidered the English black-horses, especially of the cast kind, not so hardy as the bay or chesnut.

"The Greys have the greatest diversity of colour. The dapple-greys retain their colour longer than any others, and this being considered the sign of a strong and healthy constitution, they are the most esteemed. The iron-grey looks well, but wants the requisite just named. The silver-greys are extremely beautiful and good. The nutmeg-greys, especially when the dapple mixture partakes of the bay or chesnut, are not only beautiful, but are generally very hardy and serviceable.

"The Roan participates of many colours, with a preponderance of white; where the intermixture is of the bay or nutmeg the horses are sometimes handsome. There are, however, a great variety of these, but most of them are better and stronger than their appearance bespeaks them.

"The Strawberry is not materially different from the roan or the sorrel, having a semblance to both, being generally marked with white on the face and legs; where there is a mixture of bay, the horse is frequently handsome and good: these, however, are not very

common.

"The Dun, the fallow-colour, and the cream, are not unlike each other, and are generally found with a

list down the back, with their manes and tails black. Dun-horses are often very useful, and are mostly taken by the country-people. The mouse and lead-colour are the most ordinary; these have a list on the back which goes off into a soft shade, as the back of the eel, and, on that account, acquire the name of 'eelbacked.' The cream-coloured horses are often very good and beautiful. The royal stud of this description are bred in Hanover, and appear to be a distinct breed from the rest; their manes and tails incline to the chesnut; the pupil of the eye is red, like the ferret's, with a white iris. The tawny-dun is tinted with darker shades, and is occasionally dappled: these, when well matched, look very well."

There are several other coloured horses, as the fleabitten, peach-coloured, &c., but these are not very common. Germany has horses of a very peculiar breed, spotted with black, red, yellow, and other colours these sell more for curiosity, or are reserved as presents to great men, for they seldom possess any peculiar excellence. The snow-white palfrey from Spain, and not exceeding the Galloway in size, is nearly extinct. The pied-horses are such as have a mixture of white with some other colour; they are not generally esteemed as hackneys, nor in the team, being more used for light carriages. White legs and feet are always weaker than those of any other colour.

ON BREEDING.

In the early part of the spring mares generaily come into heat, and the average time of their going with foal

is generally eleven months, sometimes more and sometimes less, according to circumstances. May is the month from which ages are always dated. The most material thing to be observed in breeding is the quality of the sire and dam, for peculiarity of form and constitution is inherent, and descends from generation to generation; hence the necessity of attention to those niceties which breeders are often apt to forget and pass over; nor is it sufficient that one of the parents be good and the other but indifferent, for the perfection of the sire may be lost through the deficiencies of the mare, and vice versa.

In the selection of a stallion many things should be observed. There should be general uniformity and compactness in every part, without an atom of superfluous weight or size of carcass. The height should depend upon the occupation the foal is destined to fulfil. The legs should be particularly examined, and disease should pervade no part of the system. Fat, heavy horses, with thick legs, and coarse unseemly heads, should always be avoided. Horses that are blind, or broken-winded, must be shunned. Temper is an essential point, for vice is frequently hereditary, and when this is carried to any extent it more than outweighs other good qualities. Stallions which cover for small sums of money are not generally to be trusted; the price is often a temptation to many who are unwilling to give much, and the consequence is, they are brought to cover too many mares in a season, and as the period advances their stamina fails, and their produce is often weak and small in proportion to the excess of exertion they have undergone.

As regards the mare, it is now better understood that the dam contributes as much, or perhaps more, to the production of a healthy stock than the sire. It