62 HOW TO BEEED A HOBSB. 



of which have a large, although a very remote cross of the 

 African Barbs of Andalusian breed, a recurrence to the 

 original, undiluted Barb or Arabian blood might be pref- 

 erable even to breeding from modern thorough-breds, on 

 the principle, before referred to, of having, after many 

 years or centuries of out-crossing, recourse to the original 

 strain of blood, which is often found to "AiY," as it is tech- 

 nically termed, when it succeeds highly. It is worthy of 

 remark that some distinguished trotting horses trace to 

 Black Bashaw, who was a pure Barb of Tripoli, and who 

 is said to be a horse of great beauty and power. The Ca- 

 nadians and Normans both show far more similitude of 

 structure and form to the Arab and Barb, than do the 

 modern thorough -bred horses ; and that is a strong reason 

 for believing that such a cross might prove successfal. 



We should like to hear of the experiment being tried, 

 and although we should not care to predict perfect success 

 we should rather anticipate a good than an evU result ; we 

 would, however, on no account put a thorough-bred mare 

 to any Eastern horse, nor any very highly bred mare, 

 where a thorough-bred stallion is within reach. Of course 

 the boniest, most compact and strongest Arabs should be 

 «elected ; an Arab weed of inferior strain is a very poor 

 creature for any purpose, and worst of all from which to 

 breed. From what we have heard of the Nolan Arab, 

 and from the consummate knowledge in horse-flesh of his 

 gallant owner, we should augur as well of him as of any 

 recent importation from the East. We should not be sur- 

 prised if in future days material improvement in the 

 horse-flesh of the West, where there has been until very 

 recently a great want of thorough blood, may be traced, 

 hereafter, to that horseu 



