300 EVOLUTION OF THE HORSE, 



as Darwin suggests, point to the probability that our horses 

 originally came from a country in which there were severe 

 winters. It would be interesting to know if this instinct, 

 which no doubt is possessed by the kiang, is retained by the 

 onager, the Abyssinian wild ass, and the eastern horse. The 

 horses of the present day may be divided into two, more or 

 less, distinct types ; the one, thick-set and *' coarse," like 

 the Mongolian pony ; the other of comparatively slight build 

 and smart appearance, like the Arab or Indian pony (Fig 

 377). I would refer the aboriginal horses of Western Europe 

 and the various cart strains to the first division. Our saddle 

 horses and trappers are, as we all know, a judicious blend 

 of English and Eastern blood. The differences which exist 

 among the various breeds of horses in the world, are evi- 

 dently due to the effects of climate, selection, and stable 

 management 



From the remarks made on page 276, with respect to the 

 presence of thickened skin in the horse and ass, we might 

 conclude that these two animals are descended from a thick- 

 skinned ancestor, akin perhaps to the rhinoceros, whose foot 

 (Fig. 390) shows a marked tendency to become one-toed. 

 It is almost needless to say that the rifle of the sportsman 

 will, in the near future, put a summary stop to this process of 

 evolution in the case of this horned pachyderm. The fact of 

 the ass possessing a larger amount of thick skin than the 

 horse, also seems to prove that his type is the more ancient 

 one of the two. Judging by the general conformation, 

 especially as regards the comparative size of head, BurchelFs 

 zebra appears to be the nearest akin, among asses, to the 

 horse ; and the mountain zebra, the furthest removed. The 

 recent extinct quagga more closely resembled the horse, than 

 does Burchell's zebra. 



Conditions which Modified the Form of the Horse. 



—The conditions which have produced an animal (the horse) 

 with a single toe to each of its feet, from ancestors with five 

 toes, have been, apparently, those of soil, combined with a 



