68 ORLOF TROTTERS 



colour comes out best in photographs. In Russia, it is not the 

 custom to add carriage horses to the list of geldings. Some of 

 the match trotters are very fast, and have got inside 2 minutes 

 20 seconds for the mile. A few of these trotters are of a nice 

 harness type, being on comparatively short legs and showing 

 a dash of Arab blood. The majority of this kind (Figs, 18 and 

 19) are grey. On first seeing them, I thought they were a 

 distinct variety of Russian horses, but could obtain no data 

 in support of that conjecture. They therefore appear to be 

 chance produce which have thrown back more to the Arab 

 than to the cart-horse. Eighteen years' acquaintance with 

 Arabs in the East makes me sceptical of the justness of many 

 of the claims to pure Arab descent made by owners on behalf 

 of their animals. Few of the so-called Arabs met with in 

 Turkey, Syria and Egypt are true Sons of the Desert. Even 

 the large majority of animals termed Arabs that are sent from 

 the Persian Gulf to Bombay every year, are Persians or non- 

 descripts that figure under the title of Gulf Arabs. In 

 England, despite the efforts made to spread information on 

 this subject by Mr. Blunt, Miss Dillon and General Tweedie, 

 ignorance about Arabs is almost as great as it is in Russia. 

 As a case in point I may mention that I brought back about 

 twelve years ago from India, a grey Arab pony called Magic 

 which I sold to Mr. W. H. Walker. This animal was hand- 

 some, fast and carried his flag in true Arab style. He had 

 been imported into Bombay from the Persian Gulf; but 

 beyond that fact, nothing was known of his breeding. Yet 

 our sapient stud-book authorities inscribe his name on their 

 roll of equine nobility and omit that of New Oswestry ! As 

 no records of the breeding- of the horses that are sent from 



o 



the Persian Gulf are kept, we have to accept the word of 

 their native importers, which appears to be good enough 

 for Messrs. Weatherby. In India, knowing that the native 

 dealers are entirely ignorant of the breeding of their animals, 



