30 



The upper end of the first digit forms with the lower end of the canon 

 bone, the fetlock joint G. The second digit is not so long as the first, and 

 the third one with the lower end of the second, are enclosed in the horny 

 case termed the hoof. 



We may pause awhile to inquire what are the two splint bones of each 

 leg ? They are rudimentary bones, whose representatives in the progenitors 

 of the horse, were well-formed canon bones. The Hipparion, found in those 

 formations known to geologists as the late Miocene, was a small graceful 

 animal, having three well-developed toes, each bearing a hoof. The middle 

 toe was strong and large, while the lateral ones were so small as not to 

 reach beyond the fetlock. It is noteworthy and most extremely interesting, 

 that cases are recorded where horses have been born with a three-toed foot, 

 in all respects similar to the Hipparion. The earliest ancestral form of the 

 horse was the Eohippus, found in the Utah territory of America. It was of 

 about the same size as a fox, and each of the four feet was provided with 

 three toes. 



