60 THE PERCHEEON HOUSE. 



of this, although Arab blood has been infinitely less dis- 

 seminated than any other in our Northern districts. 



We can cite the famous Eclipse of M. de JSTarbonne, 

 the no less famous Herminie of M. Forcinal, all the de- 

 scendants of Bacha, Asian and Gallipoli, which were 

 matchless, and the noble sons of Massoud, Eylau, and 

 JVbteur. But, as all these have a certain amount of Eng- 

 lish blood joined to the Arab, we shall be answered : It 

 was the English blood that trotted and gave them their 

 winning points. We will confine ourselves to citing only 

 the sons of Bedouin, all admirable trotters, though all 

 coming of poor Brittany mares, the ILerims, the Avisos, 

 and the Moggys, whose fine action invariably attracts the 

 attention of every one. 



But the endurance possessed by the Arab in so eminent a 

 degree is not the only quality to be considered. It is also 

 the opinion of the best breeders that the race is good tem- 

 pered, docile, patient, of great precocity, and easily raised, 

 all of which qualities it invariably transmits to its get. 



No steeple-chase horses have shown themselves more 

 intelligent than Pledge, Raphael, Senora, and above all 

 the immortal Franc-Picard, by whom the best riders 

 found themselves excelled in the art of measuring an ob- 

 stacle and mastering it skillfully ; also, these were deep in 

 the Arab blood. If Auricula, notwithstanding he was a 

 son of Baron, with his variable and peevish temper has 

 shown himself to be, when he chose, one of the best leap- 

 ers of our age, it is because through his dam he is of Arab 

 blood. 



From all these considerations the Arabian seems greatly 

 preferable to the English horse, which exacts, moreover, 

 too much tact and skill on the part of man. The educa- 

 tion of the wagon driver is not yet sufficiently advanced 

 for him to be able to reap all the advantages claimed of 

 the working races. . The irritability of the English horse, 

 his impatience, and his nervousness, which are, doubtless, 



