But before going to study big game in the jungles everybody must study all animals wild and tame at home. It would be a very good thing if every scout kept some kind of animal such as a pony or a dog, or even birds, rabbits, or even live butterflies.
Every boy scout ought to know all about the tame animals which he sees every day. You ought to know all about grooming, feeding, and watering a horse, about putting him into harness or taking him out of harness and putting him in the stable, and know when he is going lame and should not therefore be worked.
And when you harness a horse I hope you will show more knowledge of the animal and more kindness towards him than do half the carriage coachmen in London—by not putting bearing reins on him.
Prince Edward of Wales was reported a short time ago to have said as follows:—
"When I am King I shall make three laws:
1. That no one shall cut puppies' tails, because it must hurt them so.
2. That there shall be no more sin in the country.
3. That nobody shall use bearing-reins because they hurt the horses."
These laws not only show us that King Edward VIII. will be a kind and humane monarch, but that he is farseeing, for the last one at any rate might well be a law of the country now. It is much needed.
Bearing reins are small extra reins which are hooked on to the horse's collar to hold up his head. They are generally put on so tightly as to cause him pain the moment he droops his head at all; when put on loosely they do not cause him to hold up his head and therefore are not of any use.