2 THE HORSE, ASS, AND MULE 



states, in California and Oregon, and in greatest abundance in the 

 so-called Bad Lands of Nebraska, Wyoming, and South Dakota. 

 The fossil remains of the horse are generally fragmentary and 

 date as remotely as the Lower Eocene period. A number of com- 

 plete skeletons, however, have been discovered, notably in 1899 

 in Texas, when several of the size of a trotting horse were found. 

 The evolution of the horse from prehistoric to present times 

 covers geological ages of time and represents a passing of perhaps 



Fig. I. Skeleton of prehistoric horse from the Lower Pleistocene of Texas, 



in the American Museum of Natural History. Reproduced by courtesy 



of the American Museum 



three million years. Extensive researches relative to the prehis- 

 toric horse, conducted by the scientific staff of the American 

 Museum of Natural History, directed by Drs. Osbom and 

 Matthews, have resulted in securing a wonderful collection of re- 

 mains and a large amount of valuable new data. As a result of 

 these discoveries, there has been set up in this museum a com- 

 plete collection of skeletons showing the various stages of 

 development from the Lower Eocene to the present day horse. 

 Many of these skeletons, originally more or less incomplete have 

 been restored, so that the exhibit appears perfect. Based on the 

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