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To the oil of rhodium is most frequently ascribed the greatest and most general influence over the animal kingdom, almost all animals, according to this theory being powerfully affected by it. This is the “horse taming secret” sometimes sold for considerable sums. There is no good reason to believe it has any important influence over either the disposition or actions of any animal.

The horse taming powders, composed of “a horse’s corn grated, some hairs from a black cat’s tail,” and like absurd ingredients, are too nonsensical to deserve serious notice, though once a staple part of the veterinary art, and still, possibly, believed in by a few persons.

To a certain extent many animals are able to understand the meaning of words. That is, if any particular word of command be used in instructing an animal to do a particular act he will learn to associate that word with the action, and be able to distinguish between a variety of words and apply each to the act associated with it, without confusing them. In training animals it is important that each word of command should be used only in its proper place. The common habit ignorant drivers have of using the words “back,” “whoa,” and others indiscriminately is absurd, and it is not wonderful that their horses sometimes fail to understand them. A story is told of a farmer who had recently purchased a new yoke of oxen, and was driving them in a cart. Slipping from his seat he fell before one of the wheels and very naturally got run over. “Back! back!” he cried to the oxen, meaning for them to stop, but, like many another man, using words which meant something else. The oxen happened to be better linguists, or else had been accustomed to obey literally, and in this case did so by backing as ordered, running over the man for the second time.