ANIMALS. 483 



man Lis greyhound. The horsemen place themselves on the 

 highest pciiks ; whilst those on foot range the precipices, mak- 

 ing a hideous noise, in order to start the deer. Thus the com- 

 pany extend themselves three or four leagues, or more, accord- 

 ing to their numbers. On starting any game, the horse which first 

 jjtrceives it sets off, and the rider, being unable to guide or 

 stop him, pursues the chase, sometimes down such a steep slope, 

 that a man on foot, with the greatest care, could hardly keep his 

 legs ; from thence he flies up a dangerous ascent, or along the 

 side of a mountain; so that a person not used to this exercise would 

 think it much safer to throw himself out of the saddle, than com- 

 mit hisHfe to the precipitate ardour of his horse. The other horses 

 which join in the chase do not wait for the riders to animate 

 them ; they set forward immediately upon seeing another at full 

 speed ; and it becomes prudence in the rider to give them their 

 ■way, and at the same time to let them feel the spur, to carry him 

 over the precipices. These horses are backed and exercised to 

 this method of hunting; and their usual pace is trotting. 



There are said to be very good horses in the islands of the 

 Archipelago. Those of Crete were in great reputation among 

 the ancients for their swiftness and force ; however, at present 

 they are but little used, even in the country itself, because of the 

 unevenness of the ground, which is there very rocky and moun- 

 tainous. The original horses of Morocco are much smaller than 

 the Arabian breed ; however, they are very suift and vigorous. In 

 Turkey there are to be found horses of almost all races : Ara- 

 bian, Tartars, Hungarians, and those natural to the place. The 

 latter are very beautiful and elegant ; they have a great deal of 

 fire, swiftness, and management ; but they are not able to sup- 

 port fatigue : they eat little ; they are easily heated ; and they 

 have skins so sensible, that they can scarcely bear the rubbing 

 of the stirrup. The Persian horses are, in general, the most 

 beautiful and most valuable of all the East. The pastures in the 

 plains of Jledia, Persepolis, Ardebil, and Derbent, are excel- 

 lent for the purpose of rearing them •, and there were bred in 

 those places vast numbers, by order of the government of Per- 

 sia, while that country was under any government. Pietro della 

 Valle prefers the horses of Persia to those of Italy; and in- 

 forms us, that they are in general of a middle size ; and althou"h 

 some are found even of the smallest stature, vet that does not 



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