fOOT-BONES. 11 



in which the bones of the rudimentary lateral toes were buried in 

 the skin and welded together. It is noticeable that, in both the 

 fore and hind foot, the outer rudimentary toe-bones are much 

 more developed on the left than on the opposite side. 



If this were all, it might be considered that the Shire " Prince 

 Henry ^' was merely a solitary instance of reversion towards the 

 ancestral type in foot-structure_, and, although even this would be 

 a matter of considerable interest, yet it would have little or no 

 special bearing on the ancestry of the breed in general. Since, 

 however, the cannon-bones of ^'^Blaisdon Conqueror ^^ also display 

 an equally large development of the splint-bones, which show 

 traces at their lower ends of distinct vestiges of the toe-bones, 

 although by no means in so pronounced a degree as in " Prince 

 Henry," the peculiarity seems to be more deeply seated. It is 

 true, indeed, that in the case of the feet (N.H. 77, 78) and limb- 

 bones (N.H. 79, 80) of a Shire colt presented by Loi'd Wantage, 

 it has to be admitted that these are abnormal and more or less 

 malformed ; yet, the fact remains that they show not only traces, 

 but a relatively high degree of development of the lateral toes, of 

 which the constituent bones are separate, while the terminal one 

 on one side of each limb has a hoof of its own. The reversion to 

 the ancestral type is thus very strong. In both feet of this colt 

 the lateral (2nd and 4th) metacarpal bones (usually represented 

 only by the so-called splint-bones) are complete, though varying 

 in size, and carry one toe-bone each. 



Although this abnormal specimen was selected and presented to 

 the museum on account of its peculiarities, yet, after making 

 allowance for this, there is the remarkable fact that three skeletons 

 of Shire Horses exhibit more or less strongly developed rudiments 

 of the lateral toes of the extinct three-toed Hipparion. Tlie 

 obvious inference is that this is a characteristic of the breed. 



To coniirm or disprove this idea requires, however, the limb- 

 bones of a considerable series of pedigree Shires. Of special value 

 would be the limb-bones of very young colts, in which the 

 rudimentary toe-bones might be separate and more fully developed 

 than in the adult. As matters already stand, a further inference 

 may, however, be drawn from these rudimentary toes in the Shire 

 Horse. As already stated, in many Horses the splint-bones 



