348 THE HORSE 



be borne by him, whether or not the arbitrator decides he is 

 entitled to return it ; but the responsibihty for accidents, if 

 any, to a horse while at the repository pending trial, or 

 during the trial, must be borne by the vendor if the arbitra- 

 tor decides that the purchaser is entitled to return it ; or by 

 the purchaser if it is decided he must keep it. 



Due care must be exercised by the auctioneer's servants 

 to exclude liability for damages on the part of the firm. 



The Teeth. 



As a rule horses have four more teeth than mares, as it is 

 not usual for the latter to develop the four tushes. The 

 former have forty teeth, and the latter thirty-six. They are 

 arranged in the following manner : — 



Front teeth, or incisors ... 6 upper and 6 lower = 12 



Tushes, or canine ... ... 2 upper and 2 lower = 4 



Molars, or back teeth ... 12 upper and 12 lower := 24 



(6 on each side) — 



Total 40 



The teeth afford valuable information as to the age of a 

 horse, owing to the changes which are constantly taking 

 place, though it is the incisors, or front teeth, by which 

 the examiner is guided, and more especially those in the 

 lower jaw. 



The foal is usually born with two incisors in the lower 

 jaw (Plate XI.), or, if not, they make their appearance a day 

 or two afterwards ; and then after the others are gradually 

 developed the whole set are replaced by the permanent in- 

 cisors, which are all fully grown by the time the animal 

 is five years old. The crowns of both sets of teeth, the milk 

 teeth and the permanent ones, are furrowed with a groove, 

 which they gradually lose by detrition in a regular sequence, 

 thus enabling the age to be told. After all the marks have 

 been worn out it is still possible to arrive at the approximate 

 age by the different shape the teeth assume as their surface 

 is worn away ; by the shrinking of the gums, by the angle 

 at which the teeth are placed, and by certain marks on the 



