264 THE HORSE AND ITS RELATIVES 



consequence underwent a remarkable development, 

 during this period reaching the culmination in 

 numbers and kinds." 



^x x The aforesaid Hypohippus, typified by H. 

 osborm of the North American Miocene, is the 

 culminating development of the anchitherine group, 

 and is believed to have died out without giving 

 rise to descendants. Neither can its precise fore- 

 runner be determined, for its fore-foot, in which 

 the lateral toes were evidently functional and 

 touched the ground, retains minute rudiments of 

 the toes corresponding to the human thumb and 

 little finger (first and fifth of the full typical series 

 of five), which are lacking in the earlier Oligocene 

 genera. From the structure of the feet, which 

 indicate an animal suited to soft ground rather than 

 hard, grassy plains, and its broad, low-crowned 

 cheek-teeth fitted only for browsing on succulent 

 herbage, Hypohippus has been called the browsing 

 or forest horse. This animal was of relatively 

 large size for its time, standing 10 hands at the 

 withers. 



Its remains occur in the Loup Fork beds of 

 Southern Dakota and Montana ; but Professor 

 Osborn * is of opinion that certain remains from 

 the Tertiary strata of Central China indicate animals 

 closely allied to, if not identical with Hypohippus. 

 This is very important in connection with the view 

 1 Op. V.,pp. 297,332. 



