154 NATURAL HISTORY. 



The Hussars and Hungarians split their nostrils, ii; 

 order, they say, to give them more breath, and also to 

 hinder their neighing in battle. The Flemish horse* 

 are greatly inferior to those of Holland : they have 

 almost all large heads, flat feet, and are subject to 

 humours in the eyes ; and these two last are essential 

 defects in coach- horses. 



According to Marmoi, the Arabian horses are de- 

 scended from the wild horses of the deserts of Arabia, 

 of which, in ancient times, large studs were formed, 

 which have multiplied so much, that all Asia and Af- 

 rica are full of them. They are so nimble, that some 

 will outstrip the very ostriches in their course. The 

 Arabians of the desert, and the people of Lybia, breed 

 a great number of these horses for hunting, but they 

 neither use them, in travelling nor in their wars ; they 

 send them to pasture whilst there is grass for them ; 

 and when that fails, they feed them only with date*. 

 and camel's milk, which make them nervous, nimble, 

 and lean. They lay snares- for the wild horses, and 

 eat the flesh of the young ones, which they affirm to 

 be very delicate food. These wild horses are smaller 

 than the tame ones, and are commonly ash-coloured, 

 though there are also some whke ones, and the mane 

 and the hair of the tail is sho*t and frizzled. 



Let an Arabian be ever so poor, he has horses. 

 They usually mount the mares, experience having 

 taught them that they bear fatigue, hunger, and thirst, 

 lietter than horses. The Turks, on the contrary, do 

 not approve of mares ; and the Arabians sell them the 

 horses which they do not keep for stallions. They 

 have long preserved, with great care, the breed of N their 

 horses ; they know all their genealogy, and distinguish 

 the brreds by f'itlirjon* mime;:. The Jcvrest price for 



