Prehistoric animals

Russell, who signs himself 'Bedford', writes that he will gladly assist in tracing the origin of the domestic horse if Ewart provides him with some more information.

Brown writes that he is sorry that Ewart and the other members of the Committee were 'exposed to an ungracious reception' by the District Committee and the County Council, but that thanks to Ewart's efforts, 'the rock gets a breathing space' and Brown will contribute towards the cost of testing and opening up the quarry on the opposite side. He enquires whether Ewart is familiar with a reference to the horses of the Maetae in Scriptores Historiae Augustae.

Ritchie writes that he has searched in vain for his notes on the animals from several archaeological stages in France but he provides Ewart with some notes on the archaeological findings in various places. He also writes that he is sending Hoernes' book for reference.

Wilson writes that he can give no opinion on the descent of the hornless cattle from the Etruscan, but he suspects they can be traced backwards along the North of Europe. He wonders whether they were the same as cattle from Egypt, and if so, how the geographical divide happened.

Robertson writes that he had come to the same conclusion as Ewart that a slender horse played an important part in the ancestry of the English thoroughbred. He has compared various fossilised remains and concluded that although the shaft of the central portion of the large metacarpal bone is broad, the shapes of the first three phalanger are indicative of a slender race. He makes several observations on the significance of the metacarpals.

Moffat, writing from Brisbane, offers his 'remarks on Devon cattle and other types of cattle belonging to the Celtic people of Britain'. He also reports that Ewart's brother Robert 'has had a rough experience in Queensland' due to economic problems.

Gregory writes that the lower jaw of a horse has been discovered in the upper drifts filling the pre-glacial valley of the Clyde at Lanark. He suspects that it dates from around the Early Neolithic period. He asks Ewart to look at the specimen and write a short note on it for inclusion in the Hunterian Museum glacial vertebrate fossils.

Gregory writes that he has provisionally inserted the bed in a tabular classification as Neolithic. He believes it must be post-glacial, as it represents the silting up of valleys which were excavated at the end of glacial times, but the horse jaw is the only fossil evidence of this.

Duerst acknowledges receipt of Ewart's paper 'On skulls of horses from the Roman fort at Newstead' and states that he will send Ewart a copy of his own treatise on the animal remains from Anau when he has received it. He proposes that the desert horse from Anau must be the first domestic horse, or else the first desert or oriental horse.

Duerst writes that he has molars from heavy horses but not from Westeregeln or Thiede, and recommends that Ewart contact Professor Dr Hesse. He has studied the skeleton of the Remagen horse only rapidly and believes it is possible that the metatarsel in question may belong to another specimen.