20 NOVEMBER 1909, Page 38

The Modern Veterinary Adviser. Edited by Professor Gerald Leighton, M.D.,

F.R.S.E. 5 vols. Vol. II. (Caxton Publishing Co. 78.6d. per vol.)—This useful and interesting book deals chiefly with the horse, and contains some excellent anatomical diagrams and illustrations. Though essentially a technical work, it is well suited to the general reader. -AU instructive diagram shows the skeleton of a. man compared with that of a horse. It will enable those who study it to realise that the hock of a horse is identical with tho heel of a man, and that therefore if a horse's leg were placed in the position in which man holds his leg, the hock, cannon- bone, and fetlock would all lie on the ground. There are also the Usual "awful warning" diagrams showing unfortunate horses with every conceivable defect. A minatory illustration shows the 'deforming results of crib-biting. A helpful section of the book is devoted to stabling.' The writer, although laying great stress on the necessity of proper ventilation, does not particularly advocate the use of loose-boxes instead of stalls, except in case of illness. Yet even a horse which is not" delirious" very much prefers a roomy loose-box opening o'n the -stable-yard, with the top door open, to a stall where he can see nobody and cannot turn round. Horses a;re, as a rule, persistently, if timidly, inquisitive, and if they have their way will always hang their heads out " vor to chatty and zee 'yolk go by." It i8 now almost universally admitted that horses who are allowed the wider outlook have better eyesight and are less nervous, and therefore less given to shying, than those kept in a dark or half-lighted stall.