80 THE AGE. 



they are sometimes found short at twelve, and 

 long at ten. 



If a horse that is known to be ten or eleven 

 years old, has the marks remaining in the two 

 corner horse nippers in the lower jaw, it is 

 sometimes concluded from this that he has been 

 bishoped. If at this age the tushes should hap- 

 pen to be sharp at the points, and the teeth 

 also short, like a young horse, it no doubt would 

 be a good opportunity to endeavour to deceive 

 us by bishoping a couple of marks in these two 

 corner horse nippers, if they should be worn 

 out ; but the stain on such a tooth, somewhat 

 similar to that burnt on the bone handle of a 

 knife to give it the resemblance of tortoise- 

 shell, will often expose the cheat of itself. A 

 little round hole, made with a pointed iron, 

 as well as the mark of a file, with occasionally 

 a very small particle of the outer side of the 

 tooth chipped off, is sometimes distinguishable 

 at one of the "on my honour" stables'^ at Bom- 

 bay. I have, however, seen a troop horse of 

 eleven years old with the marks remaining in 

 the corner horse nippers, the tushes rather 

 sharp, and the teeth rather short, giving to him 

 the appearance of a seven-year old horse ; but 

 the teeth were not quite so straight down in 



* Figging is also very common here. 



