Remarks on Breeding. 85 



ncrs. This would go very far to prove the theory cor- 

 rect, that should there be any difference of breeding 

 between the sires and dams the sire should be of the 

 purer blood. The breeding of West Australian on his 

 dam's side being so superior and overwhelming would 

 prevent his being a good sire, although the produce 

 from a mare so bred might have been a great success 

 if she had been mated to a good horse of the Darley 

 Arabian line. His breeding is very similar to the result 

 that might be anticipated from the mating a half-bred 

 horse with a thorough-bred mare ; or, to go further, the 

 putting a horse of any inferior blood to a pure Arabian 

 mare — the offspring in both cases might prove a great 

 success as far as the individual was concerned, either as 

 a racer or for other purposes, but, if a horse, would be of 

 little or no use for the stud. 



Although many would say that our racehorse is 

 equally descended from all three lines, and the blood so 

 thoroughly mixed that it cannot be separated, and that 

 it does not matter from which family you select your 

 sire, I consider using a horse either from the Godolphin 

 Arab's or Barb's line, or from the Byerly Turk's, is almost 

 the same as if a Persian, Barb, Turkish, or any other 

 Eastern horse were used in preference to a pure Arabian, 

 which was continually being done in the early history 

 of our stud. There is no warranty for believing the 

 Byerly Turk to have been other than he is described ; 

 and of the breeding of the Godolphin Arab or Barb 

 doubts have always been entertained and expressed. 

 The surmise that he was a horse from Northern Africa, 



