4 THE HOUSE. 



be from the true solution of the methods by which 

 they have been brought about. 



The anatomy and history of the horse are, more- 

 over, often taken as affording a test case of the value 

 of the theory of evolution, or, at all events, of the 

 doctrine that animal forms have been transmuted or 

 modified one from another with the advance of time, 

 whether, as extreme evolutionists hold, by a sponta- 

 neous or inherent evolving or unrolling process, or, 

 as many others are disposed to think, by some mys- 

 terious and supernatural guidance along certain defi- 

 nite lines of change. It will be observed that both 

 these views are opposed to the doctrine, formerly 

 held universally by naturalists and theologians alike, 

 that each modification of animal or plant form suffi- 

 ciently distinct to be called a species had a separate 

 origin — a doctrine for which, it may be remarked by 

 the way, no proof of any kind has ever been offered. 



The evidence in favor of the theory of transmu- 

 tation afforded by the case of the horse is derived 

 from two distinct sources — (1) The structure of ex- 

 isting horses ; (2) the past history of the race as re- 

 vealed by fossil remains. 



(1) By far the most interesting portions of the or- 

 ganization of existing horses from this point of view 

 are the various rudimentary and apparently useless 

 structures which occur in several parts of its body, 



