212 THE HORSES OF PREHISTORIC [CH. 



simply the result of artificial breeding by assviming like all 

 other writers that the English race-horse is purely the outcome 

 of " special and exclusive breeding directed to a certain object." 

 But it will be presently shown that " special and exclusive 

 breeding " has been by no means the sole factor in producing 

 that famous breed. 



From the foregoing considerations it follows that the dun- 

 coloured kadishes found at the present moment amongst the 

 Arabs of the peninsula, Syria, and Irak, were derived from 

 upper Asia, and, as we have seen that white horses have been 

 a feature of the northern parts of Asia and Europe from the 

 dawn of history, there is a prima facie probability that white 

 and grey horses of a superior quality such as the Hamdani 

 family of Al Khamseh, may in part at least trace their pedigree 

 to animals brought from Persia and upper Asia. This is 

 rendered all the more likely from the fact that Mr Blunt's 

 beautiful white Hamdani mare (p. 170) was in appearance, head 

 excepted, like an English hunter, that is, like a good cross-bred 

 horse. It may even turn out that the chestnut colour found not 

 only in the inferior strains outside Al Khamseh, but also among 

 the best horses of the Shammar, and even in some of the best 

 Auazah strains, may be due to an intermixture of the dun- 

 coloured northern stock with some other race, for it is significant 

 that the favourite charger of Muhammad Ibn Rashid, a chest- 

 nut mare with three white feet, was "very powerfully built, had 

 much hair at the heel, and showed more bone than breeding," 

 all characteristics (especially the hairy heels) suggestive of a 

 north Asiatic strain, but to this question we shall return later 

 on (p. 442). On the other hand, the evidence already placed 

 before the reader shows clearly that the best Arab horses, the bay 

 of the Anazah, so far from their having come from any part of 

 upper Asia, are eagerly sought for by all the tribes of Syria, 

 Irak, Mesopotamia, and the rest of western Asia to improve 

 their own native breeds. But, as dark horses were existing 

 in Palestine at the beginning of the Christian era, we may 

 infer that the Arabs derived theii- best strain either from 

 Palestine, or else through Palestine from some other country. 

 In this connection the fact that Ali's famous charger Mai-mun 



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