Prehistoric Horses of Europe. 83 



representing at least two species, having been accurately 

 deciphered, archaeologists will be greatly interested to know 

 what the explorers regard as the differential characters of 

 these two species of horses. As this point is important, I 

 will quote their exact words : — " On pent nettement distinguer 

 au moins deux especes ties diff(^rentes. Les uns sont de gros 

 clievaux, a criniere ordinaire ment droite, a queue tres 

 fournie, a grosse tete et nez busque avec levres tres fortes. 



'* D'autres sont beaucoup plus elances, plus fins ; la tete 

 est petite, la criniere, egalement droite et courte, arrive 

 jusque sur la tete qui est uotablement plus petite, le nez 

 parait bien plus droit que chez les precedents, enfin la queue 

 est implantee tantot plus bas, tantot au contraire plus haut, 

 comme celle des bovides; elle est glabre, souvent terminee 

 par une touffe de poils." 



Since the characters of the two kinds of horses, as de- 

 scribed in the above extract, are in keeping with the more 

 or less precise evidence to the same effect gathered from 

 other stations of the same period, they may be at once 

 accepted as correct. 



The above epitome of the results of the investigations of 

 ossiferous caverns, and other analogous deposits, sufficiently 

 proves that horses were very abundant in Britain and 

 Central Europe during the Quaternary period, and that they 

 formed no inconsiderable portion of the food of the people of 

 those regions. The geographical area thus surveyed might 

 have been extended so as to embrace the Iberian peninsula. 

 Eastern Europe, Asia Minor, the regions around the Caspian 

 Sea, as well as other parts of Asia ; but it would be merely 

 adding to the premises without strengthening the conclusions 

 founded on them. It may be here noted that the horse was 

 not an inhabitant of Scandinavia in Palaeolithic, or early 

 Neolithic, times, as no. remains of this animal have been 

 found in the kjokkenmoddings or peat-bogs of Denmark. 



The Supposed Domestication of Horses in Pal^^:olithic 



Times. 



The next problem which claims attention is the supposed 

 domestication of horses during the later portion of the Palaeo- 



