INTRODUCTION. ] 17 



A legend* which in after times the horse-dealers 

 modified so far as to pretend that the foals begotten 

 in this manner never survived their third year. The 



Ancient Spanish Mare. 



race was handsome, but timid, and had hollow 

 backs and soft hoofs; it was chiefly bred in the 



* " Circa Olysipponem et Tagum equas favonio stante ob- 

 versus animalem concipere spiritum, idque partiim fieri et 

 gigni." Plin. viii. c. 42. Well represented in the Mosaics of 

 Italica ; see Alex, la Borde, " Descripcion de un pavimento en 

 mosayco," &c. folio. They were the Honesti spadices of Vir- 

 gil, and valued for the course in the circus ; hence Isidorus 

 says: 



" Color hie praecipue spectandus, badius, aureus." 



DE ORIGIN, lib. xii. art. 41. 



