24 THE HORSE. 
which signifies faulty. 21 Mekueref is that in which the dam is high 
bred and the sire is half bred ; although this approaches the Hadjim, it 
is of much less value. The name of this class is derived from ‘ haraf, 
mixed. £7 Hadjim is superior in quality on the same principle that a 
man whose father is white and whose mother is a negress is superior to 
him whose mother is white and whose father is a negro, #1 Berdoune is 
that class in which both sire and dam are badly bred. This animal is a 
stranger to our country. The value of a horse is in its breeding.” 
THE PERSIAN HORSE. 
Sir Jonn Matcoitm and Sir Robert Ker Porter, both of whom resided 
many years in Persia, are the chief authorities on this subject. The former 
says :—‘‘ A variety of horses are produced in Persia. The inhabitants of 
the districts which border on the Gulf still preserve here those races of 
animals which their ancestors brought from the opposite shore of Arabia. 
In Fars and Irak they have a mixed breed from the Arabian, which 
though stronger is still a small horse compared with either the Toorkoman 
or Khorassan breed, which are most prized by the soldiers of Persia. 
Both these latter races have also a great proportion of Arabian blood.” 
Sir Robert thus alludes to them:—‘“ The Persian horses never exceed 
fourteen or fourteen and a half hands high; yet certainly on the whole 
they are taller than Arabs. Those of the Desert and country about 
Hillah seem very small, but are full of bone, and of good speed. 
General custom feeds and waters them only at sunrise and sunset, when 
they are cleaned. Their usual provender is barley and chopped straw, 
which, if the animals are picketed, is put into a nosebag and hung from 
their heads ; but if stabled, it is thrown into a lozenge-shaped hole, left 
in the thickness of the mud wall for that purpose, but much higher up 
than the line of our mangers, and then the animal eats at his leisure. 
Hay is a kind of food not known here. The bedding of the horse consists 
of his dung. After being exposed to the drying influence of the sun 
during the day, it becomes pulverized, and in that state is nightly spread 
under him. Little of it touches his body, that being covered by his 
clothing, a large nummud from the head to the tail, and bound firmly 
round his body by a very long surcingle. But this apparel is only for 
cold weather; in the warmer season the night-clothes are of a lighter 
substance, and during the heat of the day the animal is kept entirely 
under shade. At night he is tied in the court-yard. The horses’ heads 
are attached to the place of security by double ropes from their halters, 
and the heels of their hinder legs are confined by cords of twisted hair, 
fastened to iron rings and pegs driven into the earth. The same custom 
prevailed in the time of Xenophon, and for the same reason, to secure 
them from being able to attack and maim each other, the whole stud 
generally consisting of stallions. Their keepers, however, always sleep in 
their rugs amongst them to prevent accidents, and sometimes notwith- 
standing all their care they manage to break loose, and then the combat 
ensues. A general neighing, screaming, kicking, and snorting soon raise 
the groom, and ‘the scene for a while is terrible. Indeed no one can 
conceive the sudden uproar of such a moment who has not been in 
Eastern countries to hear it, and then all who have must bear me witness 
that the noise is tremendous. They seize, bite, and kick each other with 
the most determined fury, and frequently cannot be separated before their 
heads and haunches stream with blood.” 
