68 THE BREEDING OF ANIMALS 



comes greatly swollen and a waxy substance exudes from 

 the ends of the teats. In the cow the developing foetus 

 may be observed externally after the fifth month of preg- 

 nancy. If the cow is permitted to take a drink of very 

 cold water, the movements of the young calf may be felt 

 by pressing the hand against the flank just in front of 

 the stifle. In the mare the same movements of the un- 

 born foal may be observed from the seventh to the eighth 

 month in a similar manner by pressing the hand firmly 

 against the flank in front of the left stifle. 



65. Physical examination for pregnancy. The exist- 

 ence of pregnancy may be determined with considerable 

 accuracy by examination through the rectum. The 

 method of making this examination is described in such 

 an admirable manner by Law 1 that it is quoted entire : 

 " Examination of the uterus with the oiled hand intro- 

 duced into the rectum is still more satisfactory, and if 

 cautiously conducted no more dangerous. The rectum 

 must be first emptied and then the hand carried forward 

 until it reaches the front edge of the pelvic bones below, 

 and pressed downward to ascertain the size and outline 

 of the womb. In the unimpregnated state the vagina 

 and womb can be felt as a single rounded tube, dividing 

 in front to two smaller tubes (the horns of the womb). 

 In the pregnant mare not only the body of the womb is 

 enlarged, but still more so one of the horns (right or left), 

 and on compression the latter is found to contain a hard, 

 nodular body, floating in a liquid, which in the latter 

 half of gestation may be stimulated by gentle pressure 

 to manifest spontaneous movements. By this method the 

 presence of the foetus may be determined as early as the 



1 Law, "Diseases of the Horse," U. S. Department of Agri- 

 culture, p. 155. 



