THE HORSE; 



HIS ORIGIN, NATIVE LAND, HISTORY, AND NATURAL HISTORY. 



In seeking to ascertain the especial land to whicli this, the no- 

 blest animal subject to the empire of man, is indigenous, the 

 nation which may claim the honor of his domestication, and the 

 period at wliich he was first brought into general use, for pur- 

 poses of war, of pomp and of pleasure, we must have recourse, 

 in the first instance, to Holj Writ, as the most ancient and best 

 authenticated of existing histories. 



By reference to the Sacred Volume, we find that although 

 the ass, an inferior member of the equine family, was early in 

 use among the children of Israel, the horse was unknown to 

 them, until after the commencement of their sojourn in the land 

 of Egypt. And there is strong evidence on which to assume, 

 that it was not until after their arrival in that country, that he 

 was there brought into subjection, if indeed he previously ex- 

 isted therein. 



It is difficult, however, to believe that any other than Egypt, 

 or, at least, Africa, was his birthplace ; for it is clear that Ara- 

 bia, which many have supposed to be the native home of the 

 horse, and which has done more than any other region in the 

 world to improve the race, by the admixture of its superior 

 strain of blood, did not originally possess the animal ; nor, in- 

 deed, until, comparatively speaking, a recent date ; while his 

 introduction into Greece, and thence into those regions of Europe 

 and Asia wherein he is now found, either wild, or in a domesti- 

 cated condition, may be traced to a transmarine, and probably 

 Egyptian, soui'ce. 



K. C. bLci-tfi College 



