19-t The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 



be able to judge if both present the same appearance. 

 Dishonest dealers and horse-copers will not like you to 

 examine their horses minutely, but as my writing is for 

 the instruction of my readers and for the younger mem- 

 bers of my profession, I shall still continue to point out 

 the tricks of the " professional " horse-coper, as a guide 

 and warning to all who may want to buy a horse, not 

 caring for the discomfort of the few if I can benefit the 

 many. Being " proud to praise yet not afraid to blame " 

 is a motto I hold by, and in future pages I will devote a 

 chapter or two upon the tricks of horse-copers, so that 

 my readers may then see it is not a wonder that many 

 persons are deceived when buying a horse, the only 

 wonder being that any escape who have any dealings 

 with them. Before leaving the horse's head, there is one 

 disease I must not overlook, viz., 



POLL-EVIL. 



This disease consists of an inflammation of the 

 muscles of the neck over the poll-bone, and the first 

 vertebra of the neck. It generally extends under the 

 ligament of the neck, which passes over the atlas-bone. 

 This ligament is not attached to the bone, consequently 

 the disease is deep-seated, being situate between that 

 ligament and the bone itself. It is being thus deep- 

 seated which frequently renders it difficult to cure, the 

 bone itself being frequently diseased before suppuration 

 is set up. Before the swelling becomes very conspicuous, 

 the part is very hot and painful to the touch, which can 

 easily be noticed by the motion of the horse. That it 

 has all the painfulness of a whitlow in the human 



