90 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, 1892. 



The Progeny is supposed to take after the sire, in the conformation 

 of the fore limbs, in strength, energy and capacity for work. The 

 mare gives height, size, and shape behind. But this rule is general 

 to which there are man,y exceptions. 



Age. — The foal often takes after that parent which is in middle life 

 and therefore most vigorous. 



Breed. — Tlie better bred parent also stamps him or herself more 

 markedly on the progeny. So strong is this that many horses are 

 noted for what is called stamping their stock. 



Sex. — A colt takes after the sire, a filly after the dam. 



Stallions and mares. — We must now pass to the mating of the 

 stallion and mare. In the first place we will consider the stallion. 

 Whatever class of stallion we wish to breed from, he should be the 

 best of his kind, free from vice, hereditary unsoundness, and of good 

 conformation. It is a mistake to suppose, for instance, that if a 

 stallion has an ugly head we can modify or alter the head of his 

 offspring by putting him to a mare with a small well-shaped one. 

 Stallions in this country are generally larger than the mares. But 

 we should avoid too lai'ge a sire or we may injure the mare in copu- 

 lation. Nor will it necessarily follow that the foal will be very 

 large and vigorous. The Oriental breeds used by Government 

 in India are Arabs, Persians, Country-breds, Turkoman, and 

 Stud-bred. 



Arah stock are well shaped, hardy and good-looking, have great 

 powers of endurance, are good goers, have good feet, good tempers, 

 are often fast, and make troopei's for Native Cavalry. The stallions 

 themselves too are hardy, and will keep health and condition on food, 

 and in a climate where other horses would die. They are generally 

 good tempei'ed, which is a point of some importance, as an impetuous 

 vicious stallion is often very troublesome, and gets himself disliked 

 by the syces and mare owners. The drawback to the Arab stock 

 is that it is generally wanting in height, has insufficient bone below 

 the knee (shank measurement), has too long and sloping pasterns, and 

 is frequently narrow chested, and rally. Also the Arab often, when 

 not quite pure bred himself, fails to stamp his stock, and it takes 

 after the Country-bred^s dam, showing the crooked hind limbs, cow- 



