_Rakib_, the Scout; _Mansour_, the Victorious; _Sabeur_, the Patient; _Salem_, the Saviour; _Kamil_, the Perfect; _Saâd_, Happiness; _Maârouf_, the Known; _Aatik_, the Noble; _Sabok_, the Rapid; _Nadjy_, the Persevering; _Moubarek_, the Blessed; _Guetrâne_, Pitch; _Messaoud_, the Happy; _Safy_, the Pure; _Ghezala_, the Gazelle; _Naâma_, the Ostrich; _Mordjana_, Coral; _El Aroussa_, the Bride; _Djerada_, the Locust; _Ouarda_, the Rose; _Guemera_, the Moon; _Hamama_, the Dove; _Yakouta_, the Ruby; _El Guetaya_, the Cutter; _Aâtifa_, the Docile; and _Leïla_, Night. Very similar names are given to slaves. A constant practice of the Arabs, and one that must have been remarked by all who have served in Africa, is to cut the hairs of the forelock, the neck, and the tail. The rules for this seem odd to Europeans. When the colt is one year old they clip off all his hair except a tuft between the ears, on the withers, and on the dock of the tail. At two years old the operation is repeated, but this time the hair is entirely clipped off. When three years old, in the third spring, a third clipping takes place. From three to five years the hair is allowed to grow, but only that the whole may be clipped off at the termination of the fifth year. This final operation is called _el halafya_, and no instrument is ever again raised against the hair. It would be thought sinful to do so, as the only object could be to deceive one's brethren as to the age of the horse. After each clipping they never fail to rub the parts thus exposed with sheep's dung soaked in milk, or with Prussian blue diluted with melted butter. These applications soften the skin and thicken the hair. The practice of clipping is supported by several reasons. In the first place, it indicates, at sight, the age of a horse up to eight years, as it takes at least three years before the horse, having recovered his full length of hair, can be styled _djarr_—one that trails his tail along the ground. Secondly,—which is an important point in hot countries,—it compels the animal to bear patiently the stings of flies. And lastly it is supposed that the hair thus becomes thicker, longer, and more silky. If the Arabs explain and justify this method of clipping a horse's coat until it is five years old, they do not attempt to do so for our fashion of docking a horse's tail. In their eyes it is a barbarism that has no name. It affords an inexhaustible theme for raillery. They rally us, indeed, on this subject in the most serious conjunctures. I can corroborate this assertion by an incident for the accuracy of which I personally vouch:—