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MEN, MONKEYS, HORSES, AND SOTS. 151
was made up for by the length
of the tail-feathers
of the roosters, which were often six and eight
feet long. Horses were not put to use as draught
animals. Wheeled vehicles for conveyance of men
were not in use, and carts or wagons for burdens
were drawn by oxen or men even the Mikado's
"Phoenix car" was drawn by bullocks. The mule,
called the " rabbit-horse," was not indigenous, and
very rare.
The same diet on which the " Captain Jinks " of
popular song fed his horse was that of the Japanese
nag. He took his food from a box or bucket
set in front of him on the floor, filled with corn,
beans, or peas. Hay, straw, grass, and mixed fodder
composed his summer diet. In the center of the
floor, beneath the body of the animal, was a claylined
pit, covered with a wooden grating. Not an
ounce of any description
of manure was lost in
Japan. The stalls were very clean. The horses
were black, white, or brown. Their names were a
study, such as,
" Black " " Dragon," Typhoon," Willow
Swamp," " Green Mountain," " Devil Head,"
" Thunder " Cloud," Arrow," "Ink-stone," "Devil's
Eye," " Earthquake," and " Iron Jaw."
There was an equine as well as a human aristocracy
in Japan. The albino horses were considered
sacred and reserved for temples. Near many of
the great Shinto shrines and often in the Buddhist
temples might be seen one or two which were
daintily fed, covered, and carefully waited upon by
a pretty maiden set apart for the work. They were