AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 311 



ITBulletin Mensuel de la Societe Imperiale Zoologiqn-e d' Acclimatation, Paris, July, 1857.] 



THE ARABIAN HORSE. 

 By M. Richard [du Cantal.) 



The society gave to Mons. Albert Geoffrey Saint Hilaire and 

 myself the honorable charge of studying on the spot the resources 

 •of animal production by our beautiful African colony. We now 

 «come to render our account of the observations which we have 

 made on this grave and important question, as to our national 

 riches. 



To facilitate our labor, we have divided it. Mons. Saint Hilaire 

 specially occupied himself with the sheep, goats and fowls. I 

 took the horses, asses, oxen and hogs. 



The Algerian horses, known by the name of Barbs, form a pre- 

 cious race in every way. They always show (unlike our French 

 varieties) distinct types in their whole nature, development, ana- 

 tomical conditions, physiological, tissues, aptitudes, &c., &c.; they 

 have an analogy of conformation, of nature and temperaments. 

 In one word, a, family air^ a common physiognomy, which makes 

 them distinct everywhere they are studied. 



The most remarkable difference observed in these barbs is, the 

 the greater or less degree in the stamp of their nobility; this is 

 according to their high plateaux, or the low and more or less 

 humid pastures. The degree of nobility, perhaps, depends also 

 upon their primitive origin. (I shall have occasion to return to 

 this point.) Their stature, which depends above all on the abun- 

 dance of their pasture and the care taken in bringing them up, 

 cause some differences among them. But whatever marks of 

 individual development or distinction there may be, still, they 

 all have the general anatomical and zoological character appro- 

 priate to the horses of oriental blood. They have a great deal of 

 that peculiar fineness of the tissues of the skin, the horny skin. 

 Their bones have a peculiarly close texture, very compact, and of 

 remarkably great specific gravity; a fact peculiar to all the types 

 of this noble race. The fibres of their organs, generally, are 

 smooth, and united by a cellular tissue, very fine, but not abun- 

 dant; an anatomical condition which gives to their whole organ- 

 ism an especial muscular force, compactness. This fact explains 

 the reason why these African horses, even when apparently poor 



