CHAPTER V. 



PERMANENT DENTITION IN THE HORSE AND 

 OX. DENTITION TABLES OF HORSE AND OX. 



The permanent teeth, both incisors and molars, 

 are much larger and stronger than the temporary. 

 The permanent incisors and first three molars absorb 

 the roots of the temporary until there is but a small 

 thin shell or cap remaining. This is gradually 

 pushed out and finally displaced by feeding or bit- 

 ing on some hard substance, and drops out of the 

 mouth. 



In the horse the permanent teeth number forty ; 

 in the mare, thirty-six, the canine teeth being usu- 

 ally absent, although they may occasionally be found 

 in them somewhat rudimentary. 



Naturalists, for the purpose of classification, 

 divide the back eeth into premolars, those which 

 are shed ; and molars, those which make their first 

 appearance as permanent teeth and are never shed. 

 This division, however, is not usually recognized by 

 veterinary surgeons. They designate the whole 

 number of back teeth as molars. We occasionally 

 find supernumerary teeth (wolf teeth, Fig. 14), sit- 

 uated in front of the upper and lower molars most 



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