"العراق والخليج الفارسي" [ظ‎‎٣‎٠‎٣] (٨٦٢/٦٠٩)

470 IRRIGATION, AGRICULTURE, AND MINOR INDUSTRY
Camels, which are essentially animals of the plains, are the principal
source of wealth of the beduin tribes of the southern and western
deserts and are also bred by certain semi-settled tribes of Lower
Mesopotamia. Beduin keep them for their products—milk and camel-
hair—and for sale to the towns as meat or as beasts of burden.
The replacement of the camel by the lorry for desert transport has
reduced the demand for pack animals, but as a source of meat there
is no reason why camel-herding should decline. Their use in southern
Iraq is limited by the fact that the soft going of the alluvial plains in
winter makes camel transport useless.
Camels are of the single-humped species and are either pack or
riding animals. Pack camels are of heavy build and carry from 400
to 600 lb. for 15-25 miles a day. Thoroughbred riding camels are
more slightly built and are capable of maintaining a steady amble of
6 miles an hour for several days consecutively with due rest.
The number of taxed camels was about 80,000 in 1938-1939, and
showed a slight but steady increase since 1935. A quarter are in
Dulaim province and the remainder are fairly evenly distributed
through the provinces of the plains, though surprisingly few are
in Baghdad and Basra provinces.
Donkeys, Horses, and Mules
Of these, donkeys are far the most important, being the principal
pack and riding animals of the whole country. The usual kind is
black or dark brown, small and wiry, but there is a special white
breed of . riding donkey, with long tail, large in size and strong,
originating from Nejd. The principal breeding-centres are in the
neighbourhood of Baghdad, Hilla, and Samawa.
The raising of thoroughbred horses is a speciality of certain tribes,
particularly the Shammar, Amarat Anaiza, and Bani Lam. The
horse is mainly an article of luxury and not of general economic
importance; genealogies are preserved and the various Arab breeds
are carefully distinguished. Horses are also used for carts and
carriages, principally in towns, though the total number of horse-
drawn vehicles did not exceed 1,400 in 194°' Kurdistan the
semi-nomadic tribesmen keep ponies and use them as ordinary
riding animals and also for pack transport. Tel Afar is the principal
horse market of the north. Mules also are a Kurdish animal, princi
pally used for pack transport; the best are imported from Persia.
No statistical information exists for any of these animals and their
distribution cannot at present be usefully mapped.