ON SKULLS OF HORSES FROM THE ROMAN FORT AT NEWSTEAD. 575 



insufficient in amount." Professor Noack, on the other hand, thought it had been 

 "irrefutably proved" that Prejvalsky's horse had an affinity to the pony. # 



Professor Ridgeway, after passing in review all the chief breeds of horses, came to 

 the following amongst other conclusions, viz.: (1) That there was a coarse, large-headed, 

 indigenous, thick- set horse of a dun or white colour in Upper Europe and Upper Asia 

 (probably derived from the same stock as Prejvalsky's horse), which continually moved 

 southwards to the regions beyond the great mountain chains extending across the Asia- 

 European Continent ; and (2) that by the blending in varying degrees of these coarse 

 dun and white horses with a Libyan variety of a bay colour evolved in North Africa, 

 all the improved breeds of the world had been produced. In addition to the coarse 

 large-headed horse of Europe and Asia, and the well-bred horse of North Africa, 

 Kidgeway recognised the existence in North-West Europe of the Celtic pony ; but as 

 this pony is not credited with taking part in forming any of the improved breeds, 

 Kidgeway may be said to derive domestic horses (with the possible exception of some 

 of the ponies of North-West Europe) from two species or varieties, viz. — from (1) Equus 

 caballus, the coarse large-headed horse of Upper Europe and Upper Asia closely allied 

 to E. prejvalskii ; and (2) E. caballus libycus of North Africa. 



The skulls from Newstead clearly demonstrate the existence during the first century 

 a.d. of three quite distinct kinds of horses, viz. : (1) A horse with the face long and 

 arched, and strongly bent downward on the cranium ; (2) a horse with a short, broad, 

 dished face nearly in a line with the cranium ; and (3) a horse with a narrow, dished 

 face nearly in a line with the cranium. 



The first, which in its head agrees with Ridgeway's large-headed horse of Upper 

 Europe and Upper Asia, belongs to what I have termed the Steppe variety, and has 

 either sprung from or is closely allied to Prejvalsky's horse, t 



The second, not mentioned by Ridgeway, belongs to what some years ago I 

 described as the Norse variety, but subsequently named the Forest variety. The 

 majority of the horses with which Linnaeus was familiar were doubtless fairly typical 

 members of the Forest variety. \ 



The third, which I have spoken of as the Plateau variety, § includes two races, viz. 

 the Celtic, adapted for a subarctic habitat, and the Libyan, adapted for a subtropical 

 habitat. These races agree in all essential points with Ridgeway's Libyan variety. 



* A similar view is held by Mr Lydekker, Knowledge, Aug. 1904. 



t In the Steppe variety the face is very long (PI. III. fig. 12), decidedly convex, and strongly bent on the 

 cranium ; there are only five lumbar vertebrae, the limbs are long and slender, the fetlock joints small, and the hoofs 

 long and narrow. The mane is short and upright (hence there is no forelock), while the tail is mule-like. The dorsal 

 band is narrow, and at the most only faint vestiges of stripes occur on the trunk and legs. 



% In having the face nearly in a line with the cranium, a concave profile, six lumbar vertebrae, large fetlock joints 

 and broad hoofs, a full mane and tail, a broad dorsal stripe, and stripes on the face, trunk, and legs, it profoundly 

 differs from the Steppe variety. 



§ In the Plateau variety the face is dished, as in the Forest variety, but longer, and slightly more bent. In colour 

 and markings and in the number of the dorso-lumbar vertebrae, it agrees with the Steppe variety. From the Steppe 

 as well as the Forest variety it differs in having a very narrow face, and in being devoid of hind chestnuts and all 

 four ergots. Though in the Plateau, the hoofs are broader than in the Steppe, variety, the fetlock joints are as small 

 and the " bone " as flat. 



