The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1871-07-19
DAILY PRESS.
PORTLAND.
WEDNESDAY, JULY 10, 1871
Sketches Of Natural History.
lrroiu inc oeiIaSt journal
THE HORSE.


Horses are of various kinds. The most
prominent are the race-horse, carriage-horse.
truck horse and saw-hOrse. Ali are very use-
iul, though they ciffer in symmetry and quail
ity. The saw-hOrse has the most bottom.
and is esteemed because it never has the
heaves and isn't afraid of railroad train.
For steady-going, economical family beast,
it can't be beat.
If you want to buy horse, the best way is
to advertise. We knew man to do it once.
The next morning after the paper was out
they began to light in front of bis ancestral
mansion. At early breakfast time, having
put on his good clothes to receive the dis
uhsulshed guests, he beamed upon them from
his front door. He was confronted with
crowd resembling the congregated hackmen
OF New York steamboat pier. aHere you
are, square !I"l've got him fur Won i,N
BEST horse in the State v'-aAn iIleoan,
trade for yeW-accompanied by whins and
gesticulatihg hands pointing to double row
OF horse calamties, of every imaginable
shape, hue and condition. He retreated.
locked the door, and stood the seige without.
After the enemy had abandoned the attempt.
he took memorandum OF the result. 1t
amounted to his fence pickets all pulled off:
the bark gnawed from his shade trees, grass
trodden down and his front walk defiled. As
an offset he had cord and half of horse
manure. That man still hires his horses of
Parker.
We determined not to split on that rock.
So when the hOrse-fever caught us, we bought
horse of friend. There is nothing like
dealing with friend, if you want to get
square and honest trades. Our friends horse
was Black Hawk, born and reared on the
iree hills OF Vermont. He was strong as a
lion, gentle as summer zephyr, afraid of
nothing, stand without tying-and in short
the superior OF anything since the day of Mo.
hammed's favorite mare. Our friend said so.
He wanted to sell only because he wasn't 60
ing to keep horse any more. As favor we
might have him. Our friends business part
ner took occasion to remark that it was a rare
trade. Our friends clerks dropped along, one
after another, and echoed tue remark. We
launched out our lucre, and had the animal
sent home. We harnessed him 70 a sleigh,
and lett him in the street while we dropped
into store. When we came out, wild cry
arose, and away down the street careersd
that warranted horse. Pedestrians and those
who were conveyed in chariots were industr
ously getting out of the way. The busy hum
OF commerce was suspended. and his wOn-
drous career became the theme of the street
At every leap the heels of that gentle charger
went through the dasher. The telegraph op-
orator at the next station reported him as
still running at last accounts. An industri-
Gus and patient man was hired to go after
the sleigh, and in the language of the loaves
and fishes miracle, "there were about twelve
basketsfull." Still we never lost confidence
in our friend-nOt even when it was noticed
that he got unto himself other hersedesh, and
INDUCED in daily drives, even to this day.
And we also get our horses OF Parker, in
quantities proportioned to the occasions.
When the three-eyed Richard offered his
kingdom for horse, he was probably in the
jockey business and wanted to take in some
unwary individual. But whether he found
any one to dicker with or not, it is a fact that
there is nothing so demoralizing to native
honesty as truck and dicker in hOrse-fesh. 1t
has been remarked that G. Washington
wouldn't lie about cherry tree, but we
shouldn't have dared to take his sainted word
abont the pedigree aud performance OF his ia
vOrite charger. The first use which mankind
ever made OF horse was TO eat him. The
practice was largely revived in Paris during
the late seige, when every summons to sur
render was answered by horse laughs.
The first use of the horse for riding pur-
poses, was in the Ark, where Shem and Ham
made them useful in carrying Captain Noah's
orders forward, The longest horse back ride
on record was taken by young man named
Mazeppa, in consequence of too much play
ing checkers with Polish gentleman's wife
When he got off the horse he didn't banker SC
much after game as when he started. The
shortest rides are taken by the boys at the
circus who try the clowns pony. Some folk,
get much attached to horse. That was the
case with the boy who tied skittish horse:
halter to his waist in pasture, and then
frightened him. He was, as a gushing cor
respondent say, "yours till deaths Generally
"hoss-man's' comparative estimate of hi.
earthly goods is thus-first his horse-second
his dog-third, his wife-fourth, his double
barrelled shotgun.
One of the most useful portions Of horse
is his tail. 1t is useful to the animal during
his life, as an ornament, and a weapon of de
fence in fy-time. Alter he is dead, it is in
dispenable for fiddle-bows. But for the rub
bling of horse tails against the twisted entrail
OF i. Cat, Esq, we should never have heart
OF Paganinni and great many other ninnies
This pretty much exhausts what we know
about horses. What we don't know woul,
undoubtedly spread great deal more. Th,
horse has remarkable half brother. know
as the mule. He is celebrated as a vocalist
having powerful voice and wonderful ear
His beauties, virtues, and loveable qualities
generally, are reserved for another article.