Article XIII.— A NEW SPECIES OF PLEISTOCENE 



HORSE FROM THE STAKED PLAINS 



OF TEXAS. 



By J. W. GiDLEY. 



Equus scotti, sp. nov. 



The type of this species is a nearly complete skeleton (No. 

 10606), consisting of the skull and lower jaws, the cervical ver- 

 tebra, the three anterior dorsal vertebrae, both fore limbs and 

 feet complete, and one hind limb and foot, besides several other 

 vertebrae and some ribs probably belonging with it. 



This skeleton was found by the writer associated with four 

 other skulls and parts of skeletons of the same species, in a bed 

 of compact Pleistocene sand at the head of Rock Creek, Briscoe 

 Co., Texas. The bed in which the bones were found is about 

 the middle of the Equus, or Sheridan, beds, which are about 100 

 feet in thickness at this place. 



Bones from the associated individuals have been substituted 

 for the missing bones of the skeleton (No. 10606) which has 

 been admirably mounted by Mr. Adam Hermann, and placed on 

 exhibition in the Tertiary Mammal Hall of the Museum. 



The writer has made a very careful study of all the types of 

 the species of Equus in this country and has found that an ex- 

 tensive revision is necessary ; this will be published in a subse- 

 quent paper. It appears that the horse from the true Equus beds 

 of the Plains has not been taken as a type but has been mistak- 

 enly identified with other species. A new term is therefore nec- 

 essary and this is selected in honor of Prof. W. B. Scott, of 

 Princeton University. 



The species E. scotti differs from E. caballus in proportions and 

 size as follows : (i) the skull is relatively larger, (2) the neck 

 is shorter, (3) the body is longer, (4) the lesser curvature of the 

 belly ribs near their heads indicates that the back was not nearly 

 so wide, (5) the limbs are shorter and more slender in proportion 

 than the larger varieties of the recent horse. 



Comparing the skeleton of E. scotti with the skeleton of a 

 larger draught horse (No. 528) in the osteological collection of 



[III] 



