THE MULTIPLE ORIGIN OF HORSES AND PONTES. 447 



less A'osticres, so long as tlicv are liannless. When an ergot or a 

 chestnut is accidentally torn oH' there is considerable loss of blood. 

 It is conceivable that in the remote past hoi'ses which happened to 

 be born without ergots proved better adapted for a life in the sub- 

 arctic regions — Avere less likely to sufl'er from injury when moving 

 through frozen snoA\' and to become a prey to wolves — and hence 

 had a better chance of surviving and leaving descendants," 



There is also evidence of specialization in the teeth of the Celtic 

 pony. In many horses — e. g., the horses of southeastern Asia — the 

 canines and u])per first ])renK)lars (wolf teeth) are well developed, 

 but in the Celtic pony the first premolars seem to be invariably 

 absent, while the canines are either absent or very minute, even in 

 old males. In all the typical Celtic ponies I have seen the head is 

 small, Arab like in outline, and well put on to a relatively long neck; 

 the muzzle is fine and slightly arclied, the under lip short and well 

 molded, the nostrils are Avide, and the eyes on a level with the fore- 

 head, while the ears are short, white tipped, and carried as a rule in 

 an upright position. Owing to the shortness of the jaws the pro- 

 portion of the head to the body is as 1 to '2.50 instead of 1 to 2.20, 

 as in the wild horse. 



Except in size I have been unable to discover any diiference be- 

 tween the skeleton and teeth of the Celtic pony and those of the small 

 horse of the " elephant bed '' of the Brighton Pleistocence. In the 

 most northern part of Iceland, where the few pure specimens of the 

 Celtic pony survive, only a height of 12 hands (48 inches) is 

 reached. Under more favorable conditions the height would prob- 

 ably be 50 or 52 inches, the size of some of the " elephant bed " 

 horses and of the smaller variety of the desert-bred Arab, to which 

 the small, slender-limbed occidental pony closely approximates. 



In temperament the Celtic pony is very different from the wild 

 horse. Captain Hayes had no difficulty in handling the wild horse 

 in my possession, but from first to last, though giving evidence of 

 marked intelligence, it Avas absolutely irresponsive and spiritless. 

 A Celtic pony, on the other hand, rapidly learns what the trainer 

 wishes and responds with alacrity. In its keenness and speed, stay- 

 ing power and agility, a pure Celtic pony is as different from an 

 ordinary heavy-headed Iceland pony (i. e., a dwarf horse) as an 

 Arab is from a cart horse. 



The question may now be asked, is my most typical Celtic pony a 

 pure or nearl}' pure specimen of a once widely distributed wild 

 species, or is it at most an approximation to an ideal type living 



o If, as it seems likely, the absence of ergots ( i. e., of spurs in the center of 

 the footlocks) is an advantage in arid regions, such as the Libyan Plateau, 

 we can understand their frequent absence in Barbs and Arabs. 



