THE AGE. 431 



frog, and furnishes a bed for the next part ^, of this body, 

 which is, 



The Net-ivorJc of Blood-vessels. — These arc chiefly veins, and 

 furnish the blood to supply the sensitive frog with nutriment, 

 and from which is secreted the horny sole, by means of the 

 villi which project from under the surface of the sJcin-UJce cover- 

 ing of the sensitive frog. This is continuous from above with 

 the skin, and covers the heels and cleft behind, passes under, 

 lining the under surface of the sensitive frog, and above, being 

 continuous with the cuticular (skin-like) covering of the coro- 

 nary substance. 



THE AGE. 



To be able to determine the age of a horse within a few 

 months, during the period of his greatest usefulness, is an ob- 

 ject of considerable interest to every person who may ever 

 wish to purchase one of these noble animals. And to those 

 who are engaged in the frequent buying and selling of horses, 

 it is absolutely indispensable to be expert in this art. jNIany 

 a man has been the victim of a roguish dealer, or jockey, 

 and had a '^doctorecV old horse, almost worthless, put on him 

 for a splendid five or seven-year old ; and thus he has been 

 swindled out of his money, and laughed at by his neighbors, 

 only for his ignorance of a few simple points to be observed to 

 enable any man of common sense to tell the age of a horse 

 with approximate certainty. 



In treating of this subject I shall describe the successive 

 changes the mouth undergoes up to that age at which the 

 changes become obscure and uncertain, which, very fortu- 

 nately, is beyond the period of his highest value and useful- 

 ness, and beyond which a prudent man will very seldom 

 purchase a horse at any price. 



