THE MULTIPLE ORIGIN OF HORSES AND PONIES. 445 



gested by the fact that cart liorsos. like zebras, have usually six 

 lumbar vertebra' — the Avild horse of Asia has only five, like the wild 



asses. 



TJIE CELTIC PONY (EqilU.S (■(dxlllKS Ct'tti('US) . 



From the most primitive member of the Equidte family I shall turn 

 to the most specialized, viz, to what I have ventured to call the Celtic 

 pony. 



In color and markings a typical Celtic pony only differs from the 

 intermediate (Altai) variety of the wild horse in having a slightly 

 darker nuizzle, a less distinct light ring around the eye, and a more 

 distinct dorsal band. The hair is similar in structure, but slightly 

 longer in the Celtic ]3ony during winter (fig. ii, pi. i), more espe- 

 cially under the jaw — where it forms the so-called beard — over the 

 hind quarters, and on the legs. In the mane, tail, and callosities the 

 Celtic pony is very different from the wild Gol)i horse. The mane is 

 made np of a mesial poi-tion (nearly tAvice the width of the entire 

 mane in an ^\-rab) consisting of strong dark hair, and of two lateral 

 portions the hair of which is lighter and finer and less circular in 

 section than the hair of the central portion. The mane in the adult 

 grows at the rate of from 9 to 10 inches per annum, and as only about 

 one-third of the hair is shed annuallj^, the mane reaches a consid- 

 erable length. OAving to the great width of the middle portion the 

 one-half of the mane generally falls to the right side, the other to the 

 left. The front part of the mane hangs down over the face to form 

 a forelock (fig. 2, pi. i). 



The most remarkable feature of the Celtic pony is the tail. To 

 begin with, the dock is relatively very short — so short that one is apt 

 to suppose it has been docked. The distal two-thirds of the dock 

 carries long dark hairs, the majority of which continue to grow until 

 they trail on the ground. During winter and spring the proximal 

 third of the dock (about 4 inches) carries stiff hair from 3 to 6 inches 

 in length, which forms what may be known as a caudal fringe or tail 

 lock (fig. 2, pi. I and fig. 1, pi. ii). In the case of Arabs and other 

 semitropical horses, the first 1 or 2 inches of the dock are usually cov- 

 ered with short, fine hair like that over the hind quarters, but in the 

 Celtic pony fine, wiry hairs from 4 to 5 inches in length extend right 

 up to the root of the dock under cover of the body hair of the croup. 

 The most distal hairs of the tail lock overlap, but are quite distinct 

 from, the long persistent hairs carried by the lower two-thirds of the 

 dock. The hair in the center of the fringe, of the same color as the 

 dorsal band (fig. 1, pi. ii), projects obliquely backward; the hair at 

 the sides is light in color and projects obliquely outward. The pres- 

 ence of this very remarkable bunch of hair at the root of the tail was 

 quite incomprehensible until I noticed what hapi)ened during a snow- 



