OOO VERTEBRATA. 



I>t Russia. Great pains have been taken, as well by the government as by individuals, to 

 luce improved breeds. Napoleon imported over two hundred of pure Arabian blood for this 

 purpose. Yet, though France has a great variety of local breeds, she has none of general celeb- 

 rity, and is obliged constantly to import considerable numbers. A great many for the saddle and 

 light harness are obtained from England; a still larger number for the cavalry arc procured in 

 G man) and Denmark. The mosl noted French breeds are the Limousin, good for the saddle; 

 the Normand, especially those from the district of Cotcntin, a vigorous and hardy race, excellent 

 for the cart, wagon, hack, and diligence; and the Boulogne, a noble breed, large, powerful, and 

 adapts l to hcaw draught. Small but serviceable Nags, called Bidets, axe, produced in Auvergne, 

 Poitou, and Burgundy. 



The Horses of Holland, especially those of Friesland, have long been valued for light draught 



work. 



The Flemish Horses, though they have been much used for cavalry in Europe, have heavy 

 heads, large neck--, and large, flat feet. 



The German Horses are of various kinds. The native breeds are heavy and ill-formed, but 



tin introduction of Arabian, Turkish, Barbary, and Spanish horses have produced some finer va- 

 rieties. The Mecklenberg Horses are largely exported to France, where they are used as well for 

 carriage as for cavalry service. 



Denmark, with Holstein and Oldenberg, boast a large variety of horses, greatly esteemed and 

 extensively used for cavalry, though they fail in elegance and symmetry. 



The Norway and Swedish Horses are small, but strong, active, and hardy. Those of Lapland 

 are similar, but still more diminutive. 



Prussia has many horses, but the only breed of note is one resembling that of Friesland, pro- 

 duced in the low country near the mouth of the Vistula. 



The native horses of Poland are of middling stature, and peculiarly hardy, strong, and useful. 



The Transylvanians have good horses, and are accustomed to slit the nostrils of those used for 

 war, under the idea that, as the horse only breathes through its nose, this gives him a freer breath. 

 It also renders him incapable of neighing, which is often inconvenient in the field. 



The Hungarian Horses resemble the Cossack breeds, and are noted for spirit and endurance. 



hi Russia the horses are of various breeds, but they have no general celebrity. 7 rot ting-horses, 

 for matches on the snow and ice, are much valued and cultivated. The Turkish breed, which is 

 finely formed, light, and graceful, is in use. The Kalmuck breed, which is the same as the Cos- 

 sack, is of prodigious hardiness. Loudon says they will travel three hundred to four hundred 

 miles in three days; they subsist, summer and winter, solely upon the grass of the great plains 

 between the Don, Volga, and Yaik Rivers. Here they abound, the herds numbering from two 

 hundred to a thousand. They are excellent swimmers, and often cross the Volga where it is a 

 mile or e\ en t\\ o miles in width. 



The Spanish Horses have long been celebrated, especially those of Andalusia. They are the 

 lit of a strong influx of Eastern blood, at the time of the conquest of Spain by the Moors or 

 Sara-ens, at the beginning of the eighth century, operating upon breeds already highly improved. 

 The .'ion ot the country by these invaders for nearly eight hundred years, during which 



time a constant intercourse with the Bast was maintained, caused the horses of Spain, especially 

 in the south, near the center of the Moorish kingdom, to become highlv Arabianized. This 



bl 1 still remains, and hence the Spanish horse is greatly valued. For two or three hundred 



year- this breed has been frequently taken to England, France, Holland, and Germany, and has 

 largely contributed by mixture to improve the horses of these countries. 



The Portuguese Maris were once celebrated for being fleet and long-winded, but they are said 

 t.. have degenerated. 



Italy sA present produces no breed of note; the Horses of Naples were once highly valued, but 

 hav< lost their celebrity. The country, however, produces a large number of these animals. 



