256 TRAVELS IN AFRICA, 
other neighbouring regions, and fomewhat indicate the prefent 
ftate of the people. 
The horfe is ufed, but not in great number, nor are the na- 
tives very folicitous as to the breed. The only good horfes they 
poflefs are bred in the country of Dongola, and by the Arabs to 
the Eaft of the Nile. Thefe are generally larger than we are 
accuftomed to find the Egyptian horfes. They are perfedlly well 
formed, and full of fire, yet tradtable. Their action is grand 
beyond what I have obferved in any other fpecies ; but it is 
faid they are not remarkable for bearing fatigue. The Arabs, 
who breed them, are in the habit of feeding them with milk. 
They rarely, if ever, caftrate them. Horfes and mares are in- 
difcriminately ufed for the faddle. The horfes of Soudan are 
none of them fhod. 
Two or three diftind breeds of flieep, Ovis aries, exift in 
Soudan, not however very materially differing from each other. 
The large-tailed fheep, which are found elfewhere, I believe are 
here unknown. The meat is inferior to that of the Egyptian 
fheep. They are covered with coarfe wool, refembling hair, 
and apparently wholly unfit for any manufacture. The goats, 
capra cervicapra^ are much more numerous than the fheep, and 
the flefh of the former is fomewhat cheaper than that of the 
latter. The goats grow perhaps rather larger, but otherwife dif- 
fer not from thofe of Egypt. It is not uncommon to caftrate 
both thefe animals, but neither is.it a very general practice. 
The 
