THE AGE. 



441 



way as to occasion the animal but comparatively little incon- 

 venience, as well as furnishing a very accurate record of his 

 age, which can easily be read by a little experience. 



After five the indications of age begin to become more ob- 

 scure, the only way of determining it being by the wearing 

 down of the nippers causing the gradual change and final 

 wearing out of the mark. Sometimes, however, a horse has 

 what is called a shell-tooth ; but this is seldom the case. To 

 an inexperienced observer such a horse presents a seven-year- 

 old mouth for life, but to a judge, however, this j)i'esents no 

 mystery. These shell-teeth fill the mouth, in front, level with 

 the others, and are of the natural shape on the outside, but on 

 the inside they are of the form of a sea-shell. Consequently, 

 the mark in them never wears out ; but, by attention to the 

 following description of the ordinary mouth, these need occa- 

 sion no difficulty. 



Oar next cut represents the sLv- 

 year-old mouth with the mark en- 

 tirely gone in the front pair of nip- 

 pers. There still remains, however, 

 a slight depression of the cement 

 filling the center, and this is, of 

 course, surrounded by enamel. This 

 depression is of a dark or brown 

 color, from the stain imparted to it 

 by the herbs on which the animal feeds. Outside of this rino; 

 of enamel the bony substance also is worn below the level of 

 the enamel, and also presents a stained or brown appearance. 

 Their cutting edge is quite smooth. The second pair arc ap- 

 proaching the appearance of the first, the mark becoming 

 short, broad, and faint. The corner ones show evident signs 

 of wear. The tushes have reached their full growth, and are 

 from three-fourths to an inch in length, rounded to tlic outside 

 and hollow to the inside, and tending to be hooked toward the 

 point. The third pair of grinders are of their full length, and 



