Fa. But you have not seen that variety of colours in a hare for instance.
Ch. No, a hare is always brown.
Fa. Yet if you were to depend upon that circumstance, you would not convey the idea of a hare to a mountaineer, or an inhabitant of Siberia; for he sees them white as snow. We must, therefore find out some circumstances that do not change like size and colour, and I may add shape, though they are not so obvious, nor perhaps so striking. Look at the feet of quadrupeds; are they all alike?
Ch. No: some have long taper claws, and some have thick clumsy feet without claws.
Fa. The thick feet are horny: are they not?
Ch. Yes, I recollect they are called hoofs.
Fa. And the feet that are not covered with horn and are divided into claws, are called digitated, from digitus, a finger; because they are parted like fingers. Here, then, we have one grand division of quadrupeds into hoofed and digitated. Of which division is the horse?
Ch. He is hoofed.
Fa. There are a great many different kinds of horses; did you ever know one that was not hoofed?
Ch. No, never.