THE HORSE and ITS RELATIVES E Ffer^Ge ORG -Tfe 7Q H B € FL '^ the HORSE and ITS RELATIVES
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\J LIBRARY UNIVER5ITY3>^ PENNSYL\^\NIA FAIRMAN ROGERS COLLECTION ON HORSEMANSHIP m Digitized by tine Internet Arciiive in 2009 witin funding from Lyrasis IVIembers and Sloan Foundation http://www.archive.org/details/horseitsrelaOOIyde THE HORSE AND ITS RELATIVES e ffer^Ge ORG -tfe 7q h b € FL '^ THE HORSE and ITS RELATIVES BY R. LYDEKKER, F.R.S. AUTHOR OF 'THE GAME ANIMALS OF AFRICA," "THE GAME ANIMALS OF INDIA, ETC.," "THE DEER OF ALL LANDS," "A GEOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF MAMMALS," "THE OX AND ITS KINDRED," ETC. LONDON GEORGE ALLEN & COMPANY, LTD. 44 & 45 RATHBONE PLACE 1912 [All rights reserved] printed by Ballantyne, Hanson Sy Co. At the Ballantyne Press, Edinburgh PREFACE The following popular, and yet, I hope, scientifi- cally accurate, account of the natural history of the more important representatives of the horse family, inclusive of the older domesticated breeds and its extinct forerunners, will, I venture to think, appeal to a large circle of readers. For breeders, racing men, antiquarians, naturalists, and big-game hunters ought all to find something of interest. It should be emphasised that only the natural aspect of the subject is dealt with, such side-issues as the legendary history of the horse, horse-sacrifice, the acquisition and development of the art of riding and driving, the training and management of horses, being left untouched. ERRATUM ' ' Page 29, line 14 from top, for cement ' read dentine. The Horse and its Relatives. I VK) '^EW BOLTON i^' PREFACE following popular, and yet, I hope, scientifi- ^ : The cally accurate, account of the natural history of the more important representatives of the horse family, inclusive of the older domesticated breeds and its extinct forerunners, will, I venture to think, appeal to a large circle of readers. For breeders, racing men, antiquarians, naturalists, and big-game hunters ought all to find something of interest. It should be emphasised that only the natural aspect of the subject is dealt with, such side-issues as the legendary history of the horse, horse-sacrifice, the acquisition and development of the art of riding and driving, the training and management of horses, being left untouched. Several difficult and debatable points are pur- posely left undecided, as I have preferred to quote the various opinions expressed by different writers, rather than to assert my own views. For the illustrations I am especially indebted to the Trustees of the British Museum ; but I have also to express my acknowledgments to the Duchess of Bedford, Prof. R. S. Lull, Dr. E. L. vi PREFACE Trouessart, Mr. Theodore A. Cook—both in his private capacity and as editor of The Field—Prof. J. C. Ewart, and several other friends and corre- spondents. Since the text was in type, Mr. R. I. Pocock has pointed out i^The Field, Jan. 20, 191 2, p. 143) that the aperture of a scent-gland situated on the posterior aspect of the hind-foot of the Indian rhino- ceros occupies a position very nearly similar to that of the ergot in the foot of the horse (infra, p. 41). " The orifice of this gland," he writes, " is placed suggestively near the spot corresponding to that occupied by the ergot in horses, and despite the accepted view that the ergot is a sole of the foot, the possibility of its representing an aborted gland may be wisely borne in mind. Its general resem- blance to the warts or chestnuts on the leofs of horses, which most authorities regard as degener- ated glandular structures, is quite in keeping with this suggestion." R. LYDEKKER. Harpenden Lodge, Herts, January 191 2. CONTENTS I. The Zoological Position and Structure of THE Horse ..... I II. The Wild Tarpan and its Relations 71 III. Horses and Ponies of the British Islands 117 IV. Some Foreign Breeds 136 V. The Arab Stock 150 VI. Feral Horses .... 170 VII. The Kiang and Onager Group 176 VIII. Zebras and Quaggas 187 IX. The Ass 215 X. Mules and other Hybrids 225 XI. The Extinct Forerunners of the Horse 239 Index 283 ILLUSTRATIONS PLATES LATE FACING PAGE I. Fig. I. Cannon and Splint Bones of Shire Horse 14 (Brit. A/us. Gitide to Horse Fa7nily) Fig. 2. Bones of Fore and Hind Feet of " MiOHIPPUS "... [After Lull) II. Skeleton of Thoroughbred Stallion "Eclipse" i5 (Cook, " Eclipse and O' Kelly ") III. Fig. I. Skeleton of Fore-limbs of " Eclipse " 18 Fig. 2. Skeleton of Hind-limbs of "Eclipse" s, scapula ; h, humerus ; u, ulna ; r, radius ; c, carpus (knee) ; cati, cannon-bone \ pk, phalanges ; pelvis femur ; /, /, ; /, tibia ; ca, calcaneum (hock) (Both from Cook) IV. Fig. I. Skull of Shire Stallion ... 22 (Brit. Mus. Guide to Horse Family) Fig. 2. Skull of Ouagga . V. Fig. I. Right Upper Cheek-teeth of Tarpan 34 Fig. 2. Right Upper Cheek-teeth of Arab „ p.7.-p.i,, premolars; »/.i-;«.3, molars ;/, anterior pillar ; hy, posterior pillar VI. Fig. I. Hind-foot of Horse showing Ergot 44 Fig. 2. Chestnuts on Legs of Horse . „ (Both from " Brit. Mus. Guide to Horse Fafnily") ILLUSTRATIONS PI-ATE FACING PAGE VIL Fig. i. Frontlet of Horse with Horn-like Prominences 6o Fig. 2. Prehistoric Tarpan or Wild Horse {Brit. AIiis. Guide to Horse Family) VHL Fig. i. A Mongolian Mare ... 8& Fig. 2. A Tarpan Mare .... (Brit. Mils. Guide to Horse Family) IX. Fig. I. Skull of Tarpan Mare 94 Fig. 2. Skull of Arab Mare. {Both from " Brit. A/us. Guide' to Horse Family ") X. Fig. I. A Norwegian Dun Stallion 104 Fig. 2. A Mongolian Polo Pony . {From " The Field") XI. Fig. I. New Forest Ponies . 118 Fig. 2. Shetland Ponies {Both from photos, by C. Reid) XII. Fig. I. A Suffolk Stallion . 128 Fig. 2. A Shire Stallion {Photos, by C. Reid) XIII. Fig. I. A Percheron Stallion 13& {From a French Journal) Fig. 2. A Belgian Stallion . {From a Brussels Journal) XIV. Fig. i. The Darley Arabian. 152 {From the Picture at Aldby Park) Fig. 2. The Thoroughbred Stallion "Per Simmon" {From " The P'ield") ILLUSTRATIONS xi PLATE FACING PAGE XV. Fig. i. The Kiang 178 Fig. 2. KoBDO Onager .... {Both ' from. ' Brit. Mus. Guide to Horse Family ") XVI. Fig. i. Grevy's Zebra .... 188 [Brit. Mus. Guide to Horse Family) Fig. 2. Head of Grevy's Zebra XVIL Fig. i. The Quagga .... 194 (Photo. Young) Fig. 2. Matabili Bontequagga (Pkoto. Prof. J. C. Ewart) XVIII. Fig. i. Kilimanjaro Bontequagga 200 (Photo. The Duchess of Bedford) Fig. 2. Masai Bontequagga . (Brit. Mus. Guide to Horse Family) XIX. Fig. i. Skin of Foa's Zebra . 21O' Fig. 2. Skin of Kilimanjaro Bontequagga (Photos. Dr. E. L. Trouessart) XX. Fig. i. The Zebra 214 Fig. 2. Nubian Wild Ass ... [Both from " Brit. Mus. Guide to Horse Family") XXI. Fig. i. Hybrid Bontequagga and Pony Foal and Dam 234 (Photo. Prof. Ewart) Fig. 2. Hybrid Zebra and Onager . ,, XXII. Bones of Fore-feet of Extinct Fore- runner OF the Horse .... 246' (Brit. Mus. Guide to Horse Family) " xii ILLUSTRATIONS P'-ATE FACING PAGE XXIII. Skeleton of " Hippidium " .... 252 [Brit. AIus. Guide to Horse Family) " XXIV, Fig. i. Skull of Onohippidium" . 260 Fig. 2. Molars of " Equus," "Hippidium," AND *' HiPPARION „ {Both frotn " Brit, A/us. Guide to Horse Family") TEXT-FIGURES PAGE Bones of Fore-leg of Horse and Rhinoceros . 6 (Brit. AIus. Guide to Great Game) Skull of Pig-like Animal, "Elotherium" , , 20 Molars of Single-toed and Thres-toed Horses . ^^ The Ancestors of the Horse and its Relatives compared ........ 240 (After Lull) Milk-molars and Premolars of the Extinct " Meryc- Hippus" 255 (After Lull) Bones of the Fore and Hind Feet of the Extinct "Hipparion" 257 (After Lull) Crown Surface of Upper Molar of the Extinct "Hipparion" 258 (After Lull) Bones of the Fore and Hind Feet of the Extinct "Hypohippus" 261 (After Lull) " Upper Molar Tooth of Anchitherium" . 267 Bones of the Fore and Hind Feet of the Extinct "Eohippus" ........ 274 (After Lull) Bones of the Fore and Hind Feet of the Eocene "Phenacodus" 276 (After Lull) THE HORSE AND ITS RELATIVES CHAPTER I THE ZOOLOGICAL POSITION AND STRUCTURE OF THE HORSE The difficulty which occurs in the case of the ox^ as to what is the proper EngHsh designation of that animal does not arise in the present instance, for although we not infrequently speak of a horse, as distinct from a mare, there seems little doubt that the former term is really a species-name, and therefore applicable to both sexes of Eqtms cabalhts, as the domesticated horse of Europe was called by Linnaeus. As to the origin of the name horse—the equiva- lent of the Anglo-Saxon hors, the Frisian hars or hors, the German ross, the Italian rozza, the Old Saxon and Old German hros, and probably the Persian ghor and the Hindustani ghora—there has been some difference of opinion. It has been stated, for instance, to take origin from the Sanskrit ^ See The Ox audits Kindred, by R. Lydekker, London, 191 2. A 2 THE HORSE AND ITS RELATIVES hresk, signifying to neigh, so that the horse means the neighing animal.^ This derivation is, however, not admitted in the Century Dictionary, where the name is stated to be the equivalent of the Anglo-Saxon hors, which signifies swiftness, and is connected with the Latin currere, to run ; the English term horse thus meaning the running animal. The Sanskrit name of the species is agva, which appears to be the equivalent of the Hebrew sus, the Greek hippos (with its diminutives hipparion and kippidion), and the Latin equtcs. Another series of names for the horse is represented by the Greek kaballos, the Latin caballus, the Spanish caballo, the Italian cavallo, and the French cheval.