l] OF THE EQUIDAE 11 



in their veins (for instance the race-horse Bend Or) there seems 

 to be a vestige of the pre-orbital depression 1 . Again, Equus 

 sivalensis was usually characterised by large first pre-molar 

 (wolf) teeth in the upper jaw, whilst large functional first pre- 

 molars are found in some horses of South-eastern Asia (e.g. in 

 Java and Sulu ponies) and in some zebras, as for instance 

 Grevy's zebra and in a zebra of the Burchell type found near Lake 

 Baringo. It is hence held by some that lineal, but somewhat 

 modified descendants of E. sivalensis of the Indian Pliocene 

 period still survive, :nd that E. sivalensis was a lineal de- 

 scendant of Hipparion. But it will be presently found that 

 the horses of Java and Sulu have no pretensions to be regarded 

 as aboriginal. 



Osseous remains show that horses were widely distributed 

 over Europe in the Pleistocene period, but it has not yet been 

 determined how many species of horses inhabited Europe during 

 and immediately after the Glacial period, nor yet from which of 

 the pre-glacial species prehistoric horses were descended. Bones 

 and teeth from deposits in the south of England seem to indi- 

 cate that during the Pleistocene period several species of horses 

 ranged over Western Europe. The Pleistocene beds of Essex 

 yield bones and teeth of a large-headed, heavily-built horse, 

 which probably sometimes measured over fourteen hands high. 

 From the ' Elephant bed ' at Brighton, portions of a slender- 

 limbed horse have been obtained : and Kent's Cave, near 

 Torquay, has yielded numerous fragments of two varieties or 

 species, which differed somewhat from the Brighton and Essex 

 species. One of these in its build approached the Essex horse, 

 the other the slender-limbed species of the Brighton ' Elephant 

 bed.' Although the latter has hitherto been described as very 

 small, according to Prof. Ewart, if we are to judge from the 

 bones in the British Museum, " it may very well have reached a 

 height of 12'2 or 13 hands." 



If there were two or more species in the south of England, 

 which then formed part of the Continent, " it is probable that 

 yet other species inhabited South and Middle Europe and the 

 North of Africa 2 ." 



1 K. W. Lydekker, loc. cit. 2 J. C. Ewart, op. cit. p. 4. 



