Origin of the Thoroughbred.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 7804, 22 April 1905, Page 2

Origin of the Thoroughbred.

The eminent naturalist, Mr liichard Lydekker, reports an interesting discovery in connection witiTUie origin of the thoroughbred horse. Ktcently he wrote to the London Times asking for the skulls of pedigree hor.-es for tilo British Museum. In explanation to that request he explains that it was recently noticed that a horso skull from India in the Ilritish Museum showed a slight depression in front of the eye, evidently representing the pit lot the face-gland (like that ol a deer), which existed in the extinct threo-toed hipparions, or primitive hoi-ses. A similar depression was detected iu the skulls of tho racers Stockwell and Uend Or and of an Arab horse. Subtequentlv. I'rofessor Lankester and Mr Lydekker ascertained that it exists also in the I skulls of the famous racers Kclipse, Oj'lando, and Hermit. Thus far they have failed to defect it in those of any of tfoe ordinary English and Continental horses. On Uie other hand, it exists, in a less rudimentary condition, in the fossil true horses of India. Apparently, this lace-gland rudiment exists in the skills of all throughbred Arab horses, and is absent ;n ihos- m' KrroIjeun horses. The presumption is that the Arab ami the Hv>v<><ighbiwl (as has Anon on other |,t<iimi.ls) have an orighi quite apart from the horses of \Sextern Kuihiih^ —presumably fro'n an Hastern form relit d• to tne fossil horses of Indin. To [convert this presumption into a <eitjiinty reipiires „ iniic-li larger .'^ri-s iti.kh ff.™ Sk,, " S th »» the IhmisJi Miihdiiiii now possesses, am] h, S ,s Wh .v Mr l.\ tlekker is anxious to secure as manj' additional spetim«js an possil'le. ,i