Horse Peenliarities.

Otago Witness, Issue 2675, 21 June 1905, Page 76

Horse Peenliarities.

There is something about a highly-or-ganised, intensely-nervous horse that makes him quicfc to form likos or dislikes (says Francis M. Ware in "Our Noblest Friend: tho Horss"). Horses are perfectly submissive in the hands of some men, although they have never se>en them before. A certain "horse dentist" was sent for to attend to the teeth of a very savage stallion, but, through a mistake, was not informed that th-» animal was vicious. He came, and finding no om in charge of the stable, and seeing that there was only one stallion there, concluded that that was the patient. Ho entered the stall, and was busily working on the stallion's teeth when the man in charge returned. Tho groom could scarcely believe his eyes, as he- had himself for years been tho only one who could handle the horse. The secret of it was that the doctor, not knowing that the- horse was vicious, had no fear.

Certain racehorses Lave been known either to fly into a frightful rage or to shake and sweat with dread when they heard the voice of a jockey who had bru^Hy punished them in a race ; yet this same "rider could stand directly before them, and no demonstration followed so long as he did not use his voice ; -but the merest whisper was enough to excite them. One, well-known race mare was, ,so upset every day by hearing the trainer's voice giviug orders to the boy rider when 'at exercisa that nothing coufd be done with heS.-. until a code of signals was arranged by means of a stick. From that day, although the trainer changed his .appearance in no respect, she was perfectly quiet and tarta-ble, in srito of the fact that the man was always about her, both in and out of the stablo. Ho might be in her box for a lone- time, hancue her in any way. but if lie spofco she would fly at him instantly, and act like a wild thing for some time afterward.

Certain racehorses also take such a violent antipathy to certain riders that they wll not try to race when ridden by them, but sulk and 1 refuse to run ; nor are these boys always those who have abused them.

Bayoneted Insects. — There is in Cuba a curious grass-, Genohrus eehinatus, which bristles with tiny sharp-pointed spikelets, upon which multitudes of insects are impaled by night as well as by da-y. The wings of the victims are pieroed and entangled by the barbed spines, so that most of them are unable to get away, and thus perish miserably. Ev-en a large, luminous snapping beetle, which is so strong and active that it can with difficulty be held! in the hand," falls a victim to these vegetable bayonets. It has been observed, however, that two species of insects, a largo bug, (Ebalus, and an earwig, readily free themselves from the spines. Minute insects are not caught. The grass does not appear to derive any nourishment from its prey. It is found elsewhere in the "West Indies and in Southern Florida

The Brush-tailed Touched Mouse. — The "pouched mice," to use the colonial popular name, constitute a genus (Phascologale) of the marsupial family Dasyuriclce. to which also belong the Tasmanian devil and the thylacine. It contains about a dozen species from the Australian region, where, according to Mr Oldfield Thomas, they occupy the place held by the tree-shrews in India and the adjacent Eastern countries, and in South America by the smaller opossums. In the Australian species the fur is scifcolourod. while in most of these from New Guinea the back has once or more longitudinal stripes. Tha largest may be compared with a commofl rat for size, and 11 all the pouch is reduced to a fold of skin. Only on a representative of the genus seems to ha/s been received ali\e in tins country — the brush-tailed pouched mouse (P. penicillata). and that example has jusfe been deposited in the Zoological Garuena and placed in the sloths' house. This is one of the- largest, pale grey in colour, lighter on the under parts, v.ith the tip of the nose and the extremities pale flesn colour. The ears are large and naked, the tail long and .thick, the terminal half or three-fifths coi-ered ail round with thick: black hah", forming: a brush, which accounts fox- the specific and popular names. In the specimen in tlv gardens the tail seems to have suffered, for the hair is certainly not brush-like. Gould gives a plate of this species ('"Mammal? of Australia," I, xxxi), and says that it has been charged with, killing fowls and chickens. In the stomachs of some that he dissected he found the remains of beetles and whp -, he took to be fungus. Nocturnal in habits, thebe animals display great activity by night. When captured they become ferocious, and struggle hard to effect their escape ; and so severe are the lacerations they inflict that even a native can rarely be induced to pxit his hand within reach of a living one. Tho claws are strong and sham, and would qne a nasty scratch, though perhaps Gould's account somp-what overstates the cpse. But it. is an exceedingly interesting nnimal, and its habits in cantivitv will nc» doubt he o'-jerved and recorded. — Field-