4 HORSE ANCESTORS 



without a widel}^ splayed foot, so with the 

 passing of many generations their needless 

 inner and outer toes shrank up the leg, became 

 useless, and finally withered away, until no 

 trace remained. Here came the parting of 

 the vegetarian running animals into two big 

 families. One family ran on the middle 

 pair of toes, thus becoming the ancestors 

 of the cloven-hoofed pig, deer, antelope, 

 sheep, and ox. The other family ran upon 

 the middle or third toe, and became the 

 ancestors of the rhinoceros, the tapir, and 

 the horse. 



In the dense forests some of the vegetarian 

 tribes of animals had on the face two little 

 bags or glands, to hold a strong-smelHng 

 liquid. This perfume dropped on the herbage 

 helped the members of the herd to scent 

 one another's trails, and so keep together 

 for company or defence. On the skulls ol 

 some kinds of horses there may still be seen the 

 hollow where the sac used to be. 



The bald skin of the pig is boldly painted 

 in splashes of pink and brown to imitate the 

 lights and shadows of forest undergrowth. 

 The forest ancestors of the horse were bald, 

 and painted just the same way ; and their 

 forest colouring may still be seen under the 



