Coffey — On the Excavation of a Tiunulus near Loughrea. 17 



Marek of an Exmoor pony ; but they are almost identical with those 

 of the largest of the horses found at La Tene Uf. Marek). ^ 



According to Dr. Marek, the La Tene horse agrees in its funda- 

 mental characters, except size, with the oriental races of horses 

 whose typical representative is the "Arab" (p. 28). This, what 

 he calls helveto-gallic, horse was 135-141 centimetres high at the 

 withers, and it thus occupies an intermediate position between Arabs 

 and Ponies. 



The cranial fragment of our Loughrea horse was too small to be 

 utilized for any decisive measurements. The lower jaw, however, can 

 be almost reconstructed from the fragments, so that some general 

 idea of the cranium is obtainable. It appears to me that the com- 

 plete skull of the Loughrea horse must have somewhat resembled 

 that of the La Tene horse ; but the cranium was higher, and probably 

 more muscular, and the lower jaw more powerful, with a wider snout. 



A striking character in the radius of the Loughrea horse is the 

 great width of its proximal end. Whether this indicates greater 

 muscular power, or greater swiftness of action in the limbs, I am not 

 prepared to say ; but it may be of interest to compare the relationship 

 of the width of the proximal end of the radius with that of its length 

 in different races of horses. 



Fortunately, Dr. Marek has measured a number of interesting 

 horse remains, and has supplied us with accurate data of their salient 

 characters. 



In the accompanying table I have given his measurements (in mil- 

 limetres) of the La Tene horse, of an Arab mare, of an Exmoor pony, 

 and of a Kiang. To these I have added similar measurements obtained 

 from a Connemara stallion, from a radius of the Irish cave horse 

 (Shandon Cave), and of the famous racehorse Eollesby, whose skeleton 

 is in the National Museum : — 



[Dimensions of Radius. 



1 Marek, J. : '* Das helvetisch-gallische Pferd." Abhandl. Schweiz. palseontol. 

 Gesellscbaft. Vol. XXV. 1898. 



R.I. A. PROC, VOL. XXV., SEC. C.'J [2] 



