170 THE HORSES OF PREHISTORIC [CH. 



nose very strongly and blackly marked. Her ears are long, like 

 a hind's, and her eyes are full and soft. She was admired 

 all over the desert. In shape, head apart, she is more like an 

 English hunter than a race-horse." 



(5) The Hadban is uncommon now amongst the Anazah, 

 the best having formerly been possessed by the Roala. The 

 best sub-strain is Hadban Enzekhi, and to it belonged a re- 

 markable mare owned by Muhammad Jirro at Deyr. She stood 

 about fourteen hands two and a half inches, and was a bay, with 

 black points, carried her tail very high, and was full of fire. 

 " She looked like a race-horse, though not an English one." 

 There are two other sub-strains not so much esteemed. 



The blood of any one of the five strains is freely mixed 

 with that of another, care only being taken to secure the 

 best sire. To attain this mares are sometimes sent long 

 distances to the horse of another tribe. From this fact and 

 from inquiries made amongst the Bedouins themselves, Upton 1 

 concludes, apparently rightly, that Al Khamseh is really one 

 select breed or family, and not five distinct breeds. 



Besides the Keheilan and its four great derivatives which 

 form Al Khamseh, there are some sixteen other strains, and 

 most of them with one or more strains of blood accounted 

 equal to the Khamseh, whilst two of them Jilfan and Maneghi 

 are sometimes included in the Khamseh by townsmen and 

 horse-dealers. 



(1) The Maneghi is said by some, but without authority, 

 to be an offshoot of the Keheilan Ajuz. These horses are 

 plain and without distinction, have coarse heads, long ewe 

 necks, powerful shoulders, much length, and strong but coarse 

 hind-quarters. They have also much bone and are held in 

 high repute for their qualities of endurance and staying power. 

 There are two sub-strains. 



(2) Jilfan, with a sub-strain, Jilfan Stam el Bulad, ' Sinews 

 of steel,' to which breed belonged a fine bay seen by Blunt. 

 The Jilfan is beyond doubt the Dsjulfa of Niebuhr, regarded 

 by that writer as the most numerous amongst the Kochlani. 



1 Op. cit. p. 279. 



