The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1900-11-19

oe. while nowadays there a. something
u tendency for the three bones 10 fuse
into one although part of this tendency
the writer bel ewes to be due 20 infam-
nation SET up by the strain Of the pulling
and hauling the animal is now called
upon 20 SO Some % these three-toed
hippotherca are no in the direct line %
ancestry 81 the horse. hut are aide
branches on the family tree having be-
come 50 highly spec allied IN certain Is
rootions that no further progress horse
ward was possible
Backward still. ana the bones We ind
Ia tho Miocene strata 81 the West. be-
longing 10 those ancestors % the horse
20 which tho name OF Mcsohippus has
been given because they are midway In
time and structure between the horfe %
the past and present. tell us that then III
horses were small and that an had three
toes on foot while the forefeet bore
oven the suggestion % fourth toe From
this 20 our Eoceue hyracOthefe with four
toes Is only onother longtime step. We
may SO even beyond this in time ara
structure and carry back the line % the
horse TO animals which only remotely re-
s,mblcd him aud had nve good toes 10
foot but while these contained the pos
slbilty % "a horse. they made no show
OF o.
Direct Evidence of GeaealoGy.
We have then. this direct evidence 40
10 the ecneaiogy q the horse that be-
tween the little Eocene hyrecohere ana
the mo,fern horse we can = are series
OF animals hy which We can PASS by grad
ual stages from one 90 the other. and
that 40 We come upward these Is an in
crease IN stature. in the completely OF
the teeth and IN tho size OF the brain. A.
the same tlme the number 81 toes de-
rreaafy4 which tells that Tho a ufuaala N4ra
developing more and more speed. for II
ia rule that the fewer the toes the
faster the animal. the fastest % birds.
the ostrich. has but two toes. and che
OF these b mostly ornamental and tho
fastest Of mammaiE the horse. has but
one
I The collateral evidence. though scanty
bears out the circumsiantial proof de-
rived from fossil bones. that the horse
has developed from a many-toed ances-
tor: and the evidence points toward the
little hyrac0therc 40 being that ancestor
7 n remains only to show some good rea-
son why this development should have
taken place or 10 indicate the forces by
which q wss brought about We have
heard much about the survival OF the
nttcst" phrase which simply means
that those animals best adapted 20 their
surroundings will survive. while those ~
adapted viii perish. But Il shodld be add
% that o. means also that the animals
must be able TO adapt themselves 20
changes IN their environment. or TO
change with It. Living beings cannot
stand still indefinitely. they must pro-
gress or perish And this seems 20 have
been the cause for the extinction Of the
huge quadrupeds that nourished at the
time Of the three-toed Ml0cenc horse They
were adapted. 10 their environment as Il
vas. but when the Western mountains
were thrust upward. cutting on the moist
winds from the Pacific making great
changes Ia the rainfall aud climate 70 the
eastward OF the Rocky mountains, these
big beasts. slow OF foot and dull Of brain.
could not keep pace with the change and
their race vanished from the face Of
tho earth The day OF the little
hyTacothere was AZ the beginning Of the
great series Of changes by which the lake
country OF the West. with rs marEhy
fats and rank vegetation. became trans
formed into dry uplnnds sparcely clad
with fine grasses. on these dry plains
the more nmble-footed animals would
have the advantage in the struggle for
I existence. and while the four.tocd foot
would keep ~ owner from sinking IN
soft ground. he Was handicapped when u
became a question Of speed. FOR not only
is a fleet animal better able 70 fee from
danger than his slower fellows. but In
time OF drouth he can cover the greater
extent Of territory Ia search Of food or
water So too. az the rank PUSHES gave
place 20 fine grasses. often Drowned and
w1ihered beneath the summers sun. tho
I complex tooth had an advantage over
that OF simpler structure. while NE cut
ting-teeth. 80 completely developed IN the
horse family. enabled their possessors to
crop the grass as closely as one could
do II With scissors. Likewise, up 20 a
certain point. the largest, most powerful
animal Will not only conquer. or escape
from his enemies but prevail over rivals
OF his own kind as WELL and thus 81
came 10 pass that those early members
o. the horse family who were pre-emt-
nent In speed and stature ana harmonic
"a best with their surroundings, out
stripped their fellows and transmitted
these qualities TO their progcncy. until as
n rcauh Of long ages OF natural selection
there was developed the modern horse.
The rest man has done; the heavy. slow
paced druy horse the fleet trotter. the
huge Perchcron and the diminutive pony
are one and all the recent products OF
| ARTIFICIAL selection.
I