THE HORSE 6 1 



first disappeared, leaving but four ; then the two outer of 

 these were aborted, leaving two nearly equal digits. In 

 the series of the horse, where we can trace the change 

 more clearly, we find the earliest form five-toed, but the 

 outer and inner digit shrunken so as to become of little 

 use. This condition of the creature in the early Tertiaries 

 gives us the beginning of the equine series, and shows that 

 far away as the creature is now from ourselves, it originated 

 from the main stem of mammalian life, from which our own 

 forms have sprung. In the next higher stage in time, and 

 likewise in development, we find these lessened toes at 

 their vanishing point, and two of the remaining digits, lying 

 on either side of what corresponds to the middle finger 

 in our own hands, beginning to shrink in length and 

 volume, while the central toe becomes larger and stronger 

 than before. Last in the series we come to our ordinary 

 equine form, in which nothing is left but the single massive 

 extremity, though the remnants of two of the toes can be 

 traced in the form of slender bones known as splints, which 

 are altogether enclosed within the skin which wraps the 

 region about the fetlock joints. 



As if it were to show to us the history of this marvellous 

 organic achievement, nature now and then, though seldom 

 perhaps not oftener than one in ten million instances sends 

 forth a horse with three hoofs to each leg. Two of these are 

 small and lie on either side of the functioning extremity. 

 Each of these hoofs is connected with a splint-bone which has 

 in some way suddenly become reminded of its ancient use, 

 and develops in a manner to imitate the creatures which 

 passed from the earth millions of years ago. In most cases 

 the splint-bones have no function whatever to perform. They 



