36 THE NEXT GENERATION 



Nevertheless, science tells us that thousands of other bones 

 have been found, that these are graded all the way between 

 the smaller and the larger skeleton, and that they prove the 

 following remarkable fact : The huge dray horse is as truly 

 related to the small, catlike creature as we ourselves are 

 related to our own distant ancestors of prehistoric times. 



To be sure, the smaller animal lived as much as three mil- 

 lion years before his big relative was born, and it was during 

 this time that legs and jaw and skull bones went through 

 their tremendous transformations. The diagram shows what 

 these transformations were. 



Follow the foot as it changes into a hoof. Notice the 

 middle toe. See it grow larger and larger, until the side toes 

 are entirely crowded out of service. They do not so much as 

 touch the ground. They hang in mid-air as the animal walks. 



It took lengthened ages for nature to bring this change 

 about. Then, in course of time, all but the middle toe had 

 vanished from sight. Gradually also the toenail part of the 

 middle toe had turned itself into a pounding hoof. And 

 to-day, as Dr. Matthew 1 says, "the horse may be said to 

 be an animal that walks on its middle finger nail, all the 

 other fingers having disappeared." 



The nail itself has indeed become a hoof so broad and 

 so strong that it is able to support the entire weight of the 

 animal that travels through life upon it. 



Examine the legs of any modern horse and you may find 

 traces of two earlier toes. These so-called splint bones are 

 four or five inches above the hoof, and they are so far out of 

 sight and out of the way that they do not hinder the animal 

 either in walking or in running. Neither do they in any wise 

 help the horse as he walks and runs. 



i Author of " Evolution of the Horse." 



