, 1876-09-25

In tho two TINT had preceded It.
1t had been shown that tho evidence
Of fossil rcmains Is consistent with and favor
ablo to tic doctrine Of Evolution, though not
demonstrative Of It; that Us VIC 60 back In time
wo find tho great intervals, which now exist
between the larger groups Of animals more or
less oblitoratcd by tho aiscovery Of lntcrmcdt-
ate forms, such ns those which close the gap
between birds and reptiles, 90 that Il Is l!nru to
say where ono lcnycs of aill tile other begtns,
and TINT this evidence IL Us wclglty as tint
which leads men to affirm anything ~ true In
orlinary nlntters. But It is not absolute 1ctn-
unstratlon, because these intermediate fnrms
do hot occur In thu cxaCt order in which thuy
should be found to AlioW tlnt they arc really
Intermediates between birds and reptiles. They
should bo tn regular line Of progression II It Is
to be shown thut the steps arc graduated from
the lower to the Inst forin. There would bo tile
highest dc1nonstrattvo evldencc u ln some Older
newer, md intermediate beings between ttcnl.
The proof of Evolution cannut be looked Upon
rs complete TIL such evidence Is forthcomins..
=, OF late years such evidence fas been found,
that to get ut + VIC must find undlsturbcd de-
postts atl Fossils perfect or not much injured.
Every division of the animal kingdom bus In
shall b. the llorse-e7usts, Including the ass,
zcbrn, and klndret forms. Tho horse, too, pro-
sents onc Of tho most pcrfcc eaulplcs Of nla-
ensry T. :, the h. nna kd9 nn seg Rs1ss5y
amount OF work with tho least fuel. The bal-
ance Of ita parts, tho rhythm Of their action,
tho slender aud elnstlc lrEs With their powerful
III 81 ts II sssst oroq a XII liz depsns apon
its structure, to understand which an orain,na-
tton Of lts nnatomy is necessary. Tio upper
bore Of It's forc-tcg Is analogous to tho humerus
III man, the next 10 the fore-arm with Its rudius
ii t1INn. f1tn ETtpn IN thu wrf9t. thn rNrnrfe
bone to the middle finger, anil thu linof to tho
nails. There seems, tnducd, on first view,
to be hut one bono In tlIls forearm,
tancc, tan '"' though @ ~ moi completely s down,
tho uina being fused with tho radius. A care
full examination shows that the ulna Is not
wanting, a1d In tho young colt It is sometimes
plainly scru, but as aso advances 1t unitcs with
thc radius; and there uro also rudimentary
motacalrpal bones for tic secord and fourth
fingers. Sometimes monsters ore found with tho
toes complete. III thc hnd-leg the alt1-bone
seems but eplnt, represents the hbuln, and
wllcro II "a united With tho tibla. The mcdian
asy second and fourth toes, with the metatassal
apparatus are highly differentiated; there should
stTlctly be fortyfour teeth, but there arc IafelY
moro than forty, and tho mars commonly has
but tllirty-six, tho 'tusles'' being seldom d.
yc!opcd. There arc a!x incisors aboyo and ak
young horses mny bo told 6y tho presence of i
dark .patch This voting foat has deep pit
In each inclsor, into which tho fodder gets mud
| down until this patch disappears. Tho grinders
work upon each other like Inill-stones, and keep
tho form OF their surfaces, SO that they long
f.! remain intnct. ..
| Ii Evolution be true, what should VIC expect
to find In tho history Of the, horsoa We know
that typicul mammals arc characterized by dis
tinet Fauius and ulna; generally five toes, often
unequal, but as fingers we'll Developed. In tho
oil the hind foot 1--WE distinct toes; hence Il o
differentiated animal lllto tho horao has de-
vcloped from q simple mammalian form, We
should find In the rocks, II 1t be- there, traces Of
| graduated forms back to ono with a radius and
lilna, tlbuia and tba, and five toes on the hind
and fore feet. Thu teeth should alsn bo thoso
Of tho typical mammal. In tho ploccne forlna-
tion Of tho upper tertiary deposit, many re-
maIns Of horses arc found III Europe and many
In tho postrtrrtiary, but they differ In no e.
etntal punt frum the locsu Of tile present. Tho
Bano is t1ue Of tho later pliocenc, but In the
middle aud enrifcr pl1occne horses aro found
whose general osteology is like that OF our
own Horse, but In the bones Of tho fore and
| hind legs nre two BplntB, TINT must hnVe been
small toes, Hike THO dow-clawe OF rumlnants.
This animal is tho lllpparlon, three toes bcLng
developed fully III number but not in s!zo. The
,lna can he traeeI abuut as In the lIorsc, whose
immediate predecessor was thu htpparlou. In
Central Germany, France and Grrece 1ema!na
arc found Of un Atltnal which was broadly like
our horse. but the teeth and l!mbs differed,
THIS Is tic anchltheriun,, with three complete
toes, tho middle prOporttunatcly small, mid thu
lateral ones rcsttng OIL tho ground Us functional
toes. In thu foro urn tho radius md ul'la are
llstingulstablo throughout thcfr whole length
thu hnd foot llas tllrco toes, and thu 06ula Ii
sometimes complete and separate throughout
Its whole length. Tho teoth haya only q rult'
lne!ltary pit, al14l tho Cantno III both sexes; the
grinders arc generally complete, tho crowns arc
Rl,oFt and tg1tltAn mi cetnGnt such Qs eIl8tB In
our horses; they arc tho simplled teeth u the
horao.
This was all We knew Of tho ancestor Of the
forns @ has beon modiaei IN SPECIES, anl wt
cantiot be sure from which species A9stss was do
rived, but in general It was hero, Tho only
alternative hypothcses were unpEoyabic, speela
tigator, and no proof coulu DO found that the
aichItheriuln, hpparlon, md horse bud hsel
crcatcu separately ind at different cpoctls Iht
discoveries were In tho direct line Of evolution
tlonists confidently waited for discoveries whel
would extend It and fill up it, gaps. This Ills
coscry came from mn unexpected quarter--ffon
Ancfica, where there wore no horses when th'
began TO bo studied In AncElca sclnalns o
llorses like thoss In Europe wore found III abuIi
Ounce III the most superficial deposits. 70
E9'nrt Sa"ra ts alpva
deposits Prot. Marsh discovered many .splenuitt
! specimens, and hts collcction at New Haven IT,
now perhaps the finest In tho world. Here til
! missing evidence was found, and tended to sho'
that America u tho true seat Of thu equine TYPE
> Through tho rccent horse, the hipparlon, as,
the anchithcrluln, the notifications of anatom
were traced In tho teeth and General s 1ssoo9Ey
, large, Tic two lateral ones small, and a tud
.nentary fourth, corresponding To- to the It'll
iiuger Of thu human HIND; the hind loot ha
three toca, and the reat was as In tho anchtthc
! rum. In the American tertiary, down to u!
bottom of ths cocene, rs!nans s %sre found wit
r.allus, uina, ibuia, tlbta, and sllort-crownc
teeth TIL. osoh!ppu.sh from the oisst sosen @
. iiin..-foot, aud complete Gbulu, ub!a, rudiu,
: aud ulnn.
It ID titus shown that, 50 fur as Is known, til
Il history OF tho horse is such a. could haye bee
i predicted from the doctrine of Evolution. Al,
i Ii may confidently ba expected that, when IL
cretaceous rocks shall have been explored, q
!, equus will be found which had four tous In tror
y aud tho rudlnents Of tiyo toes behind, mud thi