The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-04-07
WILD AsIATIC HORSES.
Suspicious That New Species Has
Been Found

sd Hondon llustgsted Newsl
The modern belief is, of course. that
all these breeds Carriage. draught and
race horses are mere varieties Of one
species. and that species is believed to
be the wild horse-the equUs caballus-
of mid-Asia r Lydekker. a prominent
British naturalist. has of late days been
makinea study of a new species Of horse.
specimens of which are now resident at
Woburn abbey, where they nave been
dOmiciled by the Duke of Bedford 1t
would seem that some twenty years gone
by a certain Colonel Przewalski came
across a horse in the deserts Of Mon
golia which was duly dubbed Prevail
skis horse in honor of its discoverer
From the first, naturalists suspected that
this horse was d species distinct of itself,
and therefore not a mere variety OF the
ordinary wild horse. Only one specimen
was obtained. Later on others came to
hand. and from an examination OF the
cardinal points Of the animal the idea Of
its distince nature was strengthened The
Duke of Bedford, il appears has &C
quired twelve colts of PrZeWalSklS horse
They were bought from that king Of
dealers Mr.. Carl Hagenback of HAM
burg. Therefore. English biologists will
have the opportunity of studying the new
horse in the flesh as a living entity, and
doubtless when death overtakes any
member of the herd its body viii be
tOmical examination Of its frame
The colts are described as having been
born last year. They resemble ponies
rather than horses, and the opinion is eX-
pressed that in size the mature creature
will not exhibit large proportions. The
fact of this character appearin2 in wild
race would argue IN favor Of its probably
representing distinct speeies-that IS 10
say. a race Of horses which may be pre-
sumed to be a natural group is entitled
20 t. q
own special features. The muzzies are
white IN eleven of the twelve colts az
Woburn. Darker color prevails on the
front Of the legs Name ana tai are also
dark colored. The name stands uprighI
but is also described as tending TO fall
over The forelock IS not well developed
nor is the dark stripe along the back seen
in the horse family at large well marked
seen or the legs of horses and asses exist
in the case of PrzewalsEd s horse on bOtn
fore and hind limbs.
With regard to the hoofs, these are
noted to be Of the larger proportions
which distinguish the horses from the
ass tribe Taking the whole history of
this horse into account as lar as II can
be detailed at present. the opinion may
be held that. as Mr. Lydekker put IT,
the ordinary wild horse. the hiang. OF
horse constitute Of themselves the true
horses, while the ordinary asses and ze-
bras. with the African wild ass. form.
second and different group of the family.
In these true horses q shoulder stripe
is usually wanting. as also are dark
markings on the legs
This is an interesting record of the
family history Of our good friend the
horse But there are other phases of its
history that are even more remarkable
than those which relate to its living
neighbOrs. How many people know. Tor
example, that the horse - one-toed
animal, and that il walks on the third
toe Of each foot. which has its nail in the
shape Of the hOof? When we examine
the skeleton of the horses leg-fOre or
hind leg-we see this single toe, which IS
the third. and corresponds. therefore. to
the middle digit on our hand and loot
On each side of this wei developed toe
are two splint bones, which are Tudl-
ments Of the two massive toes. the sec
ond and fourth If il be asked how
we know this. I reply first be
cause occasionally horses are born
with the second and fourth toes fairly
developed. and second, because the
geological history OF the horse supplies US
with ali the missing links from the one
toed horse Of TO-DAY backward TO the i've
toed ancestor from which al the horses
have been evolved. No douot exists ON
this point. for in our museums anu espe-
ciallv IN American collections the tossH
horses Of that continent being numerous
we have the whole pedigree or the
animal set M before our eyes