74 THE DOMESTICATION OF ANIMALS 



THE PONIES OF THE HEBRIDES 



A characteristic race of small horses, now approaching 

 nearer and nearer to extinction, is still to be found in the 

 outer islands on the west coast. As its characters show, the 

 race is one of great antiquity; and since the isolation of 

 the islands is sufficient almost to eliminate chances of any 

 considerable cross-breeding, we can safely assume that the 

 bones of a very small horse found in an ancient underground 

 "Picts"' or "Eird" house at Nisibost in Harris are those of 

 the earliest known representative of the Hebridean race. 

 Perhaps from the same ancient line were descended the 

 horses whose remains were found by Mr Symington Grieve 

 in the upper strata of the Crystal Spring Cavern in Colonsay, 

 where they had evidently been used as food, for the bones 

 of young animals were more plentiful than those of adults. 



Early historic references to the horses of the outer isles 

 are few in number. In 1549, Monro noted that amongst 

 the western isles there 



layes ane little ile, half ane myle lang, callit be the Eriche, Ellannaneache, 

 that is in English, the Horse isle, guid for horse and uther store, pertaining 

 to the Bishope of the iles. 



Martin Martin, in 1703, said of Lewis that 



the Horses are considerably less here than in the opposite continent, yet 

 they plow and harrow as well as bigger Horses, tho' in the Spring time they 

 have nothing to feed upon but sea-ware. 



Of the St Kilda individuals the same writer says merely 

 that they are "of a lower size than in the adjacent Isles," a 

 diminutiveness no doubt due to the severe conditions of their 

 life on this isolated and storm-swept island. In 1876 the 

 horses of St Kilda had become extinct, though at that time 

 middle-aged men could still recall their former presence. 

 Even in 1764, when Macaulay described them, they were 

 verging on extinction for, said he, "all the horses of St Kilda 

 are only ten, including foals and colts, they are of a very 

 diminutive size, but are extremely well cast, full of fire and 

 very hardy." 



The Hebridean ponies are commonly of a brownish-black 

 or a foxey-red colour, though there are occasional duns and 

 greys, and one race, that of Uist, like the ponies of the Faroe 

 ^Islands, is distinguished by a striking silvery mane and tail 



