272 COMMON BRITISH ANIMALS 



four teeth by the end of his first year. Of the 

 permanent teeth, the first molar appears about the 

 end of the first year, and the second molar in 

 the second year, these teeth of the second series 

 being thus in place before any of the milk-teeth 

 are shed. The rest of the permanent teeth appear 

 in regular rotation until the full complement of teeth 

 is acquired in the fifth year. The last teeth to 

 appear are the third or corner incisors. 



Up to the fifth year it is easy to tell the age of a 

 horse by the condition of his teeth, and after this the 

 age is indicated by the appearance of the ^^ mark." 



Many types of horses are commonly known, as the 

 cart horse, the carriage horse, hunter, hackney, pony, 

 and race-horse or " thoroughbred," but of the 

 original wild stock, whence all these forms were 

 derived, little or nothing until quite recently was 

 known. As soon as man discovered the potentiali- 

 ties of the horse, there can be no doubt he at once 

 set to work to domesticate it and mould it to his 

 own uses. By careful breeding through many 

 centuries he has produced numberless types. Sir 

 William Flower,"^ writing in 1890, says : "The nearest 

 approach to truly wild horses existing at present are 

 the so-called Tarpans, which occur in the Steppe 

 country north of the Sea of Azov, between the river 

 Dnieper and the Caspian. 'J'hey are described as 

 being of small size, dun colour, with short mane, and 

 rounded, obtuse nose. There is no evidence to prove 

 whether they are really wild — that is, descendants of 

 animals which have never been domesticated — or 



* ' The Horse/ p. 79. 



