THE HORSE TRIBE 



1077 



monly designated the knee of the horse is really its wrist, while the so-called hock 

 in the hind limb is the ankle joint. The true knee is, of course, in the hind-limb, 

 and is commonly known as the stifle joint, while in the fore-limb the elbow joint is 

 situated, as in other animals, at the lower end of the humerus. The fore and hind 

 canon bones respectively correspond to the human middle metacarpal and metatar- 

 sal bones, and the so-called pastern and coronet bones to the three joints of the 

 middle finger and toe; the fetlock being the joint at the lower end of the canon 

 bone. 



It will thus be evident that the horse is an animal which is supported exclu- 

 sively by a bone in each fore-foot corresponding to the terminal joint of the human 

 middle finger, and in the hind-foot by the representative of the same joint of the 



SHIRE STALLION ("MARS VICTOR"). 



middle toe. In this respect the members of this family differ from all other Mam- 

 mals. Indeed, as is well remarked by Sir W. H. Flower, had we not become so 

 thoroughly accustomed to the horse, we should regard it as a very strange and won- 

 derful animal, as in truth it is. 



In this place it will be convenient to refer briefly to the changes 

 which take place in the incisor teeth of the horse, with age. As already 

 mentioned, the summits of these incisors are characterized by an 

 infolding of the enamel, deeper in those of the upper than in those of the lower 

 jaw, and common to both the milk and the permanent series. When the teeth are 

 first protruded, as in A of the figure on the next page, the whole of the fold is covered 

 with enamel, but when the teeth are worn (as in C) the edges are cut through, and 



Indications 

 of Age 



