16 



enough — to get these superior breeds of horses. Their native horses were of 

 such small size and inferior caliber that they were unable to bear them on horse- 

 back; the Gauls were in the first place charioteers, and secondly, riders of 

 horses. 



When Hannibal went on his great expedition and took route via Spain, 

 around the Mediterranean and down through Italy, he introduced into Spain 

 large numbers of these north African horses. Undoubtedly the evolution of 

 the fine Andalusian stock is due largely to this African strain. When the Span- 

 iards came to America they brought a few of the Norse type, with stripes and 

 dun color and many of the Andalusian horses, carrying the Arab or Libyan 

 blood. 



In the English thoroughbred we have a descendant, modified by human 

 selection, of two types of Arabs, the North African but chiefly the Arabian 

 type. This has been going on from the time of Charles II with more or less 

 fresh infusion of Arab blood to give strength and bulk. One of the swiftest 

 thoroughbreds ever produced on the English turf. Pretty Polly, is a fine ex- 

 ample of the finest type of English breed. (Fig. 6.) 



During our recent trip to Mexico, Prof. Ewart and myself examined horses 

 expecting to find many traces of the Norse breed. We were quite surprised to find 

 comparatively few ; on the contrary, Mexico was full of the descendants, modified 

 of course by their harder conditions of life, of the Andalusian breed, as proved 

 by the various 'Arab' points which I have mentioned and also by the wonder- 

 ful endurance, carrying and sustaining power, by their ability to thrive with 

 little food and travel great distances. On the hacienda of Senor Martinez del 

 Rio, we found very few dun horses of Norse type, but here and there beautiful 

 ponies with many Arab characteristics — probably direct descendants from Anda- 

 lusian stock. Going north, we were entertained at the hacienda of Senor Carlos 

 de Zuloaga, and I took a few snap shots in the corrals of this second largest land 

 estate in Mexico — a matter of 1,900,000 acres. Don Carlos has imported from 

 the King of Wurtemburg some very fine stallions belonging, not to the very 

 best type of Arab, but to the large breed known as the Syrian Arab. He has 

 bred these with Mexican mares and has produced thereby one of the most per- 

 fect types of horse you can imagine. He has about seven of these half Arabs — 

 very singularly uniform in color and just about of a size, as for instance, the 

 standard, 7 inches around the cannon bone corresponding with the Arab, beauti- 

 fully proportioned and very agile, and like the Arab, wonderfully playful and 

 docile in disposition. 



After a vote of thanks to Professor Osborn for his interesting and learned 

 address The Farmers adjourned. 



149 



71 fo683 C 70 1 



