His Habitat. 153 



The Shammar migrated from Central Arabia about 

 two hundred years ago. Being pushed by subsequent 

 emigrations, they crossed the Euphrates, and are to be 

 found principally between that river and the Tigris, 

 known as Mesopotamia. Here we have the Arab and 

 his horse in the most north-eastern district. Mr. Gififord 

 Palgrave speaks of him in Nejed, which is the central 

 highland of Arabia proper ; Abd-el-Kader and General 

 Daumas speak of him in Africa, or the most westerly 

 part of the Arab's possessions. But all horses from 

 the north of Africa are not Arabs. Barbs, properly 

 speaking, are common horses on the coasts or northern 

 parts of Africa, of Arabian origin, but of mixed 

 blood, and very inferior, yet are often, although falsely, 

 called Arabs. There is no reason to doubt that the 

 horses of the Sahara are the pure and unmixed de- 

 scendants of the importation from the parent country ; 

 and when in Africa some years ago the writer saw one 

 or two horses, evidently pure Arabian, and entirely 

 different from common Barbs. So, again, on the borders 

 of Syria, in Irak, Khuzistan, and Kurdistan, are to be 

 found horses of mixed blood, generally called Arabs, 

 often sold and bought as such ; and being sometimes of 

 taller grozvtJi, but always less beautiful and far inferior 

 to the Arabian, are often even preferred by the Euro- 

 pean; and from the eastern side of the Persian Gulf, 

 horses of mixed blood are often passed as Arabs. 

 Could a stranger form a correct idea of the English 

 thorough-bred horse, if he had only seen the hacks let 

 out for hire at our sea-side places of resort } 



