THE AGE. 443 



second pair are also slightly stamped, and touclied with the 

 iron. This fraud is easily detected by the appearance of the 

 teeth in the upper jaw, which the buyer should examine, even 

 in the absence of the suspicion of "Bishoping." The upper 

 nippers retain the mark three or four years longer than the 

 lower. The reason of this is, because the upper jaw is fixed 

 or stationary, and the food is only pressed against it, while, 

 by the lateral grinding motion of the lower jaw, its teeth rub 

 on the food, causing them to be more rapidly worn away. As 

 the upper nippers furnish the only reliable indication of the 

 age from eight up to eleven or twelve, I shall now give their 

 appearances, until the mark in them is entirely obliterated, or 

 worn out. 



At nine the mark will be worn out of the middle pair of 

 upper incisors, and they Avill have the appearance of the 

 lower ones as described at six. At ten the second pair of 

 upper nippers will have the mark worn out of them, present- 

 ing the appearance of the lower jaw at seven. At eleven, 

 the upper corner cutters will have the mark worn out, and 

 the upper jaw will correspond to the appearance of the lower 

 at eight. 



There are, however, some variations from the order of the 

 wearing out of the mark in the upper nippers. In some cases 

 the mark will be out of the corner ones at ten, generally at 

 ten and a half, and if not, it may remain until twelve. Some 

 rely considertibly on the tushes, but they are no criterion to go 

 by, for while they do afford any indications at all, there are 

 much better to be found in the nippers. The back teeth, or 

 grinders, may indeed be referred to, and with considerable 

 accuracy, but they are too far from view, and so difftcult to 

 expose as to render their examination almost impracticable. 



After the disappearance of the marks, the best, and almost 

 the only means of information as to the horse's age, are the in- 

 dications presented by the wear and tear, and these can only 



