278 The Pre-historical Existence of the [May, 
acid of the atmosphere. Now rules which admit of excep- 
tions are not Nature’s rules and cannot serve as the basis of 
class distinctions. 
It may further be asked if animals “ require to have 
nitrogen presented to them in an albumenoid form,” as was 
remarked in the discussion which followed upon the reading 
of Professor Frankland’s paper, how it comes that bacilli 
could live upon urea, which is certainly not an albumenoid ? 
Professor Frankland’s paper, in short, though in other 
respeCts of great value, must be regarded as containing an 
attempt to revive an arbitrary and fast.-fading distinction. 
There is, in all sober sadness, one reason why the classi- 
fication of baCteria, &c., as animals is gravely to be depre- 
cated. At present, being considered as plants, they have no 
rights. Neither in Birmingham nor in Edinburgh is it yet 
contended that plants have “ equal rights which are in no 
case to be hastily and unfairly set aside.” Whether increasing 
insanity or semi-insanity may not some day lead to a 
“ movement ” for the emancipation of plants we cannot 
foresee. But in the meantime we are at full liberty to ex- 
periment upon baCteria, and to devise means for their 
destruction, without being denounced by fanatics as monsters 
of cruelty, “ investigating sneaks,” and the like, or being 
haled before a police-court, as was Professor Ferrier. Should, 
however, Professor Frankland’s definition be accepted, this 
immunity may cease ; and even the simple aCt of filtering 
polluted water over the banal spongy iron, may be pronounced 
“ violationism,” or an “ orgie of diabolism.” 
V. THE PRE-HISTORICAL EXISTENCE OF 
THE HORSE IN EUROPE. 
By Alf. Nehring. 
uT* N a memoir read before theGesellschaft Naturforschender 
OK Freunde, of Berlin, and reproduced in their Trans- 
actions and in the “ Naturforscher,” the author dis- 
cusses the existence of the horse in Europe in pre-historical 
times. He rejects the common supposition that this animal 
is of purely Asiatic origin and has been introduced by man 
from its original home in the steppes. This view is, as he 
shows, absolutely contradictory to the results which have 
been latterly attained by palaeontologists and archaeologists. 
