92 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, 1892. 



animal, such as straight shoulder, narrow chest (legs both coming 

 out of one hole), toes in or out, want of bone, want of depth, want of 

 substance, cow hocks, hocks away from him, sloping croup, or 

 falling off behind. These being the faults of the Country-bred 

 mare, if she be put to a Country-bred stallion possessing them, they 

 will be accentuated in the stock. I have purchased a few Country- 

 breds for stallions in the last few years, and their stock, although 

 promising, is not yet old enough to show with certainty what they 

 are worth. Many persons in India are possessed with the idea that 

 in a certain number of years we shall be able to do without imported 

 stallions, and to select from the improved Country-breds our future 

 sires. This is in my opinion visionary ; for, except in a few districts 

 in the north, specially favoured by climate and soil, the indigenous 

 Indian horse is small, narrow, and wanting in bone and substance, 

 and to this type there is a strong tendency to revert unless a conti- 

 nual supply of foreign blood be imported to prevent it. 



Turkoman. — The real Turkoman is a pure bred horse, and the 

 best of them are very fine animals, well calculated to make excellent 

 stallions. The prices asked for these are enormous. They are big 

 horses^ over 15 hands, possess much bone and substance, good 

 shoulders, and do not fall off behind. Their hardness and powers of 

 endurance are historical. Chestnut is a common color. Unfortu- 

 nately the general run of Turkomans, although standing high, are 

 narrow, raily, and want bone. There are also many so-called 

 Turkomans which are Mushids or half-bred Mushids, and this class 

 are a poor lot, coarse, soft, and currish. 



Stud-hred. — This class, bred in the old Grovernment Studs, is now 

 extinct. They were fine horses, and many excellent animals were 

 bred from them ; unfortunately the stud authorities crossed their 

 stock injudiciously, and the result was, that these stallions were far 

 from pure bred. As they were put to mongrel mares, it was a mere 

 lottery as to whether the stock obtained was good or bad. 



Amongst other Indian breeds are the Kathiawar, the Dekani, 

 the Wuzuri, the Kata, and the Punjabi. 



Kathiaivar. — Were good, often mouse-coloured, and had almost 

 invariably a list, and often donkey marks. Now spoiled by injudicious 

 crossing. 



