New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1876-09-23

horses.
of horses in the most superficial of all these forma-
tions-that is the post-tertiary, which Immediately
hes above the pliocene. But these horses, which
are abundant in the cave deposits and in the gravels
of England and EnrOpe-these horses, Of which we
know the anatomical structure to pefection, are
i'm all essential respects like existing horses.
And that is true of all the horses OF
the latter part of the pliocene epoch.
Bnt in the middle and earlier parts of the pliocene
epoch, in deposits which belong to that age, and
which occur in Germany and in Greece. to some
extent in Britain, and in France; there we ma ami
mails which are like horses IN all the essential par
ticulars which have Just described, and the gen.
eral character of which is entirely like that OF the
horse that you may follow descriptions SVEN IN
works upon the anatomy of the horse upon the
skeletons of these animals But they dlner
in some important particulars. There IS
q difference in the structure OF the fOre
and hind limb and that difference consists in this,
that the bones which are here represented by two
spnts, imperfect below, are as long as the ldo1e
metacaTpal bone, and that attached to the extremity
of each is small toe VITA its three joints OF the
same general character as the middle toe only very
much smaller and SO disposed that they cOulu nave
had so very little Importance that they must nave
been rather of the nature of the dew claws Whlcn
are in the ruminant animals. This Hlppari0n, OF
European horse, in fact presents foot similar 70
that which you here represented except tlaJ III
the European Hipparion these smaller ringers are
further back, and these lateral toes are Oh Shaier
Bnt nevertheless we have here horse in which
the lateral toes almost abortive in the existing
horse are fully developed On careful lhysstfiga-
ton you find in these animals that also III iue IoIo
limb the ulna is very thin, yet is traceaDe aowa 70
the extremity. IN the hind limb you ma that the
fbua is pretty much as IN the horse itself nat Is
meet with in these older PliOcene for
nations, in which the modern horse
is already or becomes entirely absent; 90 SGu sGo
that the HippariOn is the form that Immediately
preceded the horse Now let us go sIeP IuiC ~
back [llusratingl to these which are called the the
Mocene formations and when colistltu.e 1he Th
part Of the deposits OF the tertiary elocn lneno
Won find in some parts of EurOpe--n Germany, Cen
trail Germany, in France, and N Greece-there you
find equine animals which differ essentially Iroil
the modern horse all that they resemb the morse Is
in the broad features OF their Org&nlzatlOn IheY
differ still further IN the characteIs % . Siem
of difference in the teeth. The forms TO when
now refer are what are known TO constitute the
genus lnckithaiam (illustratlngl. We nave theso
three toes, aud the middle toe is smaller III pro-
portion, the lower toes are larger ana III Iact idso
enough to rest upon the ground ana 70 nave
functional importauce-not an animal with TWO
dew claws but an animal with three
functional toes And in the fore arm you
find the una very Gst net Iicne 44 Tam
the pradius but still pretty closely united win IT.
In the hind limb you also meet with three tnGt!onal
toes There is the same structure IN the filppa-
Tions hind limb that there was in the case OF the
Anchitherium, and in the hind leg the hOula Is
longer. In some cases l have reason TO thlhk
that tits complete at any rate TINS lower 9u o. o. u
[llustratng is quite distinctly recognizable az "a
ssenaTable though not exactly separated piece
Of bone. But the most curious change IS
character OF the teeth The teeth of the Anchithe-
rum have in the first place, so far as the IncisoIs
are concerned more rudinentaIy pltmine p ac.S
vastly smaller than in the horse. The canine teeth
are present in both sexes. The mOlars are snort;
there is no cement, and the pattern Is some
what like this drawing on the GlacAp r,I
There are two cTeScents and two ohhque ridges;
while an the lower jaw you have the douDie
crescent and q very slight complication al the eA-
treuity Ii is quite obvious that this Frustrating
from drawingI is a simpler form than that. by IN
creasng the cOmpeXIty of thOse teeth there we
have the horses teeth. These arc all the forms WIN
which we are acquainted respecting tlie past ms
tory of the horse in Europe. When happened TO
occupy myself with this subject there
was some difficulty in tracing them, but
they left no doubt whatever IN my MUD that We
had here a genuine record o. the history OF lle eso
luton of the horse. You must understand th 9
every one Of these forms in time has undoubtedly
become modified into various species ana tne iihe,
and we cannot he absolutely certain tilaJ VIC navy
the exact line Of MODIFICATION, put
was perfectly obvious that we had mere
in succession, in time, three forms, funaa-
mentally modified, i'll the horse type Oh Whch
the oldest came nearer TO the general malnlial .
had taken place afterwaTd. We saw that the AMI
mails which had existed afterward had undergone
reduction of their limbs and toes reduction Oh ne
lower bones of the hind leg, more complete coiies
cence of the bula with the tba. The pattern OF ne
molar teeth had become more complicated ana thc
entire space had become hlled WITH cement Coh-
slider what other alternative hypothesis lies open 10
Won unless YOU admit this. la this succession of
forms you have exactly that which the hypoth-
egis of evolution demands. The history cor
responds exactly with that you would construct
q pJioyi from the principles of evolution. An a.
tentative hypothesis is hardly cOncelyable but the
only on, tLaI could be framed would be this that
the Anchtherum, the HipparOn ana the morse hl'
been created separately and at separate ep0cls ol
time and Tor that there could be no bcenIllc cyl,
dence And in the first place IT is not pTettlueu
that there is the slightest evidence OF any o!her
kind that such successive creation mas ever tahem
Mace When was investigating tins subject an
the collections Europe were accessible 10 ne, anu
they had led myself, and / may say, as happen
To know by correspondence with him. had also ied
that very eminent anatOmist Prof. LaItet of Paris
TO the same conclusions. Indeed, the story Is so
plain that deserves any particular credlt lor
drawing SO obvious conclusion. Ana since Ihel,
meteorological inquiry has not only gwen Us
Greater aud greater knowledge of the series
OF horse-like forms, but by and by enabled
us to fill up the gaps III the series, anu
10 extend that series further back III une'
FOSSIL HORSES II AMERICA.
That knowledge has recently come TO US, and as
suredly from most unexpected quarter. You are
all aware that when this country was first discoY-
cred by Europeans there found no traces OF the
existence of the horse in any part of the American con-
tinent And, as is well known, the accounts OF the
earlier discoveries dwell upon the the
natives when they first became acquainted with that
| astounding phenomena--a man seated upon morse.
Nevertheless as geology began to be pursued
in this country. 1t found that remains OF horses
horses like our European horseslike the horses which
exist at the present day-are to he found in album
dance in the most superficial deposits in this country
lust as they are in Europe. For some reason
| or other no feasible suggestion on that subject,
80 far as know has been made but for some reason
or other the horse must have died out on this cont
| nent at some period preceding-how long we cannot
say-the discovery Of America by the Europeans.
| OF late wears there have been discovered on TINS
! contiiient-in your Western territones-that