584 PROFESSOR J. C. EWART 



blood. But while the Celtic race may have led to considerable improvement in the 

 horses of south-eastern Europe, there is no evidence that in any part of Europe it 

 gave rise to a long-limbed, long-necked race built on the lines of modern Barbs. 

 Whether in south-western Asia, by blending the Celtic with the Steppe or the Forest 

 variety, fleet long-limbed breeds were formed some centuries before the Christian era, 

 it is impossible to say. In the meantime, following Ridgeway, we must turn to 

 North Africa as the most likely home of the Arab-like horses made use of for improving 

 the native breeds of north-west Europe from the second century B.C. onwards. 



In support of the view that in prehistoric times there existed in Europe a variety 

 of a yellow dun-colour with a small head, a heavy mane, and a tail-lock with twenty- 

 three dorso-lumbar vertebrae, but with neither hind chestnuts nor ergots, one has only 

 to mention that ponies having these characteristics are still in existence. But it is 

 apparently not possible to produce from North Africa horses having the characters 

 Ridgeway ascribes to his Libyan horse. 



Sanson, some years ago, described a North African variety (the E. c. africanus), 

 which agrees with the Celtic variety in having no hind chestnuts, and in having only 

 twenty-three dorso-lumbar vertebrae ; but unfortunately this, the Dongola variety, has 

 a ram-like head, which implies that it is saturated with Steppe blood. 



Perhaps one may gain some idea of what happened in North Africa in prehistoric 

 times from what has happened in Mexico during the last five hundred years. 



From the landing of Cortes in 1519 till the conquest was completed in 1521, over 

 a hundred horses of various types and colours were introduced.* After 1521, as 

 adventurers poured in, the number of horses was rapidly increased, and ere long 

 large herds were formed in various parts of the great Mexican plateau. 



Since its conquest, until a few years ago, Mexico has been, as a rule, so unsettled 

 that in at least the case of horses natural selection has had a free hand. The result 

 of the environmental selection on the Mexican plateau has been in some districts the 

 elimination of horses of a decided Steppe and Forest type, and the preservation of 

 horses which more or less accurately conformed to the Plateau type. The conditions, as 

 far as horses are concerned, on the Libyan plateau in prehistoric times perhaps did not 

 differ materially from those during recent times in certain parts of the Mexican plateau. 



The somewhat modified members of the Celtic variety which during or immediately 

 after the Ice Age reached North Africa from Southern Europe may have found little 

 difficulty in adapting themselves to a plateau life, while the Steppe and Forest varieties, 

 finding their surroundings uncongenial, may have barely succeeded in maintaining 

 themselves outside certain limited areas. 



As already mentioned, Ridgeway thinks the Libyan plateau in course of time pro- 

 duced a small, fleet, docile bay horse, with white ' stockings,' a star on the forehead, a 

 high set-on tail, long narrow hoofs, and a tendency to stripes, but without ergots and 



* Cortes, e.y., took with him nine chestnuts and three grey horses, one sorrel, one light-dun, one yellow-dun, 

 and one dark-coloured horse. Ridgeway, Origin and Influence of the Thoroughbred Horse, p. 268. 



