Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1857-09-19
INSTINCT IN HORSES.

RRMARKARLE INSTANCE OF MEMORY IL THE
IloRsE.-About fortnight ago, says the Bris-
tol (EnglanG) Times, Mr. King, carrying on
the business of baker al Sibland, near Thorn
bury, went in the morning Of the day. to field
in which his horse had been grazing for the pur
pose OF getting him home, and, as he had been
in the habit OF dung, opened the gate and al
lowed the animal to proceed home by itself, but
on his return shortly after, he found to his dis
may that it had mot arrived Mr.. King immed-
lately set abont making inquiries and found it
had passed Gravesrnd, which is near to Sibland,
and appeared 10 he proceeding towards lchin-
ton. Mr. King. being necessitated to attend tn
his business dispatched 4 man TO trace and il
possible overtake the horse. The man succeed
ed in tracing it for some distance, and was in
formed it was proceedin, at gallop. Mr.. King,
for upwards OF week, used every means, by
advertising in the Hue and Cry and otherwise,
to recover his missing horse, but without avail.
4 few days since he received letter from
gentleman residing at St. George, near Bristol.
giving him the welcome news that the animal
WAS safe. This gentlemen owned the horse Tor
some time, and parted with it four years since.
From inquiries made, it'appears that the horse
proceeded by the most direct road across the
country, and with its best speed arrived at his
old quarters, which it had mt visited for four
years in the afternoon Of the day it strayed from
Mr.. King.
Instances of like sagacity in the horse are not
uncommon. A friend of ours hired horse in
Jacksonville (llinois) to 90 to the southern part
of the country, a neiehborhood where the horse
had never been before While there he escaped
from the stable, leaped the fence, and disappear
ed. 1t was supposed he had returned 10 Jack
sonvillr, where ne had been stabbed and used
for three years. On inquiry, no trace was found
of him in that direction. \ rumor was brought
hy a traveller who knew the horse that he had
been seen making his way toward the southern
part Of The State he sometimes kept the public
road leading to Vandaa. and sometimes took to
the trackless prairie, but always bent southwark.
AT one place he was headed off in lane mile
long, between two farms. He turned short, gal
loped north TO the end of the farm, shot down to
the open prairie, hugging the fence all the way,
and then held on his way south again. He was
bound for home. the place OF his colt-hood, where
he had not been for several years, and guided
! hv his instinct he taversed the State. going
route unknown 10 him. unerrngly reaching his
old range. lie was recovered there some time
after his escape, when it was ascertained that
he had taken almost bec-linc from his strange
quarters in Morgan county to the home where
he was foaled in the southern part of the State.
\ gentleman from Tennessee related to US a
story of horse OF his own, illustrative of this
remarkable instinct in this noble animal. He
purchased horse in portion Of the State sep
arated from his own region by mountains and
rivers, and took him home by route extending
nearly hundred and fifty miles. He placed
him in pasture lot for the night, but in the
morning the horse was gone. In few days it
was ascertaned that he had returned that very
night to his old home, reaching there by day
light. He had taken a straight course across
The country, swimming rivers and crossing the
mountain. On his arrival he showed signs OF
great fatigue, having travelled distance of six
" or seventy miles during the night, following
uncrringly the point of the compass to ~ hci he
desired to 90. His memory would of course
have served him in reiracing the route by which
he had come. But, guided by the same instinct
which conducts the bee, after long wandering
and laden with his sweet burden, in line mah-
ematically straight from the last flower he raw
shes to his cell, this horse, in the darkness of
the night, over unknown paths, returned by the
shortest course to his home.-&. Louis Repub-
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