104 INTRODUCTION. 



probably the whole of Europe, constitute the great 

 primitive habitation of the horse. Far to the north 

 the species has no congener, but soon the hemionus 

 is known to be its companion ; and further south, 

 the wild ass extends eastward across the Indus to 

 the Bramaputra and west into Africa, far up the 

 banks of the Bahar-el-Abiad and Atbara. * Other 

 congeners there are on this side the equator, but 

 they are not sufficiently known, nor is their precise 

 location determined. 



These reflections are in harmony with the earliest 

 appearance of horses in the south-west of Asia ; 

 they admit a succession of immigrations, and in 

 some degree point out the routes followed by colo- 

 nies and conquerors possessed of horses; and in 

 conjunction with other remarks, for which we refer 

 to our description of wild horses, the conclusion 

 appears to be further substantiated by an evidence, 

 which is generally regarded as the most ancient 

 written record in existence, namely, the book of 

 Job, where the author, in a description of the 

 horse, unsurpassed in sublimity by any profane 

 writer, notices the flowing mane, or as our versions 

 express it, " a mane clothed in thunder." An allu- 

 sion to the mane of a horse, in bold and figurative 

 language, indicates the character of this fine orna- 

 ment to be conspicuous; but on reference to the 

 pictured forms of ancient Egyptian war-horses, or 

 to the high bred chargers of Arabia and Southern 



* Voyage on the Bahr Abiad, or White Nile, by M. Adolphe 

 Lir.aut. Geogr. Journ. 



