His dam, Miss Bell, was a half-blood mare of English or American origin, reputed to have served Napoleon III.

Strongly influenced by the Norfolk Trotter, Niger, a small black stallion with a muscular, rounded body, is described as common-looking, with a large, bushy head.

[2] Forcinal took over the old stallion The Norfolk Phœnomenon, which the Haras Nationaux administration wanted to have slaughtered because of his great age:[3] 22, 23[4] or 24.

[9] A "small, full-bodied horse"[12] by design, he was much closer to his father, and therefore to the Norfolk Trotter, than to his mother, who seems to have had no influence on his appearance.

[4] In his Études hippiques (1879), L. Herbin describes it as "very fast, powerful, harmonious, close to the ground, a little round and too drowned in its lines, small in stature", offering the following morphological analysis: "Long head, a little arched.

[2][16] His dam Miss Bell is a chestnut American[2] or English mare[9] recovered by the Forcinal family, reputed to be very beautiful.

[30] Daughters of Niger are also crossed with the stallions Harley,[31] Hippomène,[32] Uriel,[33] Rivoli,[34] Serpolet-Bai,[35] Qui-Vive!,[36] Élan,[37] Étendart,[38] Écho,[39] and Édimbourg.

[41] He was no longer included in this ranking (which now takes into account stallions whose foals have accumulated more than 25,000 francs in earnings) in subsequent years.

[6][43] In 1902, as noted by Haras Inspector General A. Ollivier, the male lineage of The Norfolk Phœnomenon was already tending to disappear.

[44] According to Albert Viel, Niger bequeathed to his descendants a compact, harmonious conformation in a close-to-earth style, with very brilliant gaits.

[45] Veterinary surgeon Paul François Charon cites a breeder who lost a lot of money with two of Niger's foals affected by cornage, one of which had to be castrated and then sold in the trade.

[52] In 1902, when A. Ollivier drew up his Généalogies chevalines anglo-normandes en ligne mâle, he placed Niger in the lineage of the English stallion The Norfolk Phœnomenon.