192 NOTES ON FIELDS AND CATTLE. 



or his exact words might have been quoted with 

 advantage. 



Abd-el-Kader, again, who, from the tradition of his 

 country and his own rare ability, should be a compe- 

 tent judge, states that " the experience of ages has 

 proved that the bones, tendons, nerves, and veins are 

 from the sire. The meanest Arab knows that any 

 malady specially belonging to the bones under which 

 the sire may be suffering, such as splints, bone and 

 blood spavins, the shape of bones, and all diseases of 

 the vertebral column, will be perpetuated in his pro- 

 duce. The dam, inasmuch as she has borne the 

 burden so long, may give colour and a certain 

 amount of resemblance. The sire gives what may 

 be called the moral qualities. A foal of unquestion- 

 ably high blood is preserved from vice. (Arabian 

 proverb : A horse of noble race has no vices.) The 

 Arabs are very difficult to please in their choice of a 

 stud-horse. They prefer leaving their mares unpro- 

 ductive, if they cannot find a horse of pure blood. 

 They will travel any distance to reach a sire. The 

 sire has more to do with the foal than the dam. 

 Herein my opinion is identical with that of the 

 Arabs. Arab horses are traditionally divided into 

 four great families : 



" 1st (and best) — Both sire and dam of noble race. 



" 2nd (faulty) — Sire noble, dam not. 



" 3rd (slightly inferior again) — Sire ordinary, dam 

 noble. 



"4th (a stranger to the country) — Sire and dam 

 ordinary. 



" The value of a horse is in its breeding." 



